AGRIC.  DEPT. 


^ 


CALIFO 
TO  D 


SAN  FRANCISCO 


A 


iTS  METROPOLIS 


FOR  THE 


HOMESEEKER 

ORCHARDIST 

FARMER 

MECHANIC 

DAIRYMAN 

STOCKRAISER 

MANUFACTURER 

TOURIST 


^he 


California  Promotioni  Committee 


San  F'ranclsco 


/ 


CALIFORNIA  TODAY 

SAN    FRANCISCO 
ITS  METROPOLIS 


A  CONCISE  STATEMENT  CONCERNING  THE  STATE  THAT  FACES 
THE  ORIENT,  AND  THE  CITY  BY  THE  GOEDEN  GATE. 
UNDISPUTED  FACTS  AND  TEEEING  FIGURES  FROM 
VARIOUS  AUTHENTIC  AND  OFFICIAE  SOURCES  CON- 
CERNING THE  GEOGRAPHY,  TOPOGRAPHY,  CLIMATE, 
COMMERCE,  OUTLOOK,  RESOURCES,  INDUSTRIES  AND 
PEOPLE  —  PROFUSELY    ILLUSTRATED. 


compiled: By.  ' ''  *.,* 'X  ^ 
CHARLES  SEDGWICK  AIKEN 


1  903 

THE  CALIFORNIA   PROMOTION  COMMITTEE 

OF    SAN    FRANCISCO 

PUBLISHERS 


<< 


1  V 


\ 


^J> 


Copyrighted,  1903 

BY 

The  California  Promotion  Committee 
OF  San  Francisco 


PRESS   OF 

PHILLIPS,    SMYTH    &   VAN    ORDEN 

CLAY   AND    SAN80ME    ST8. 

SAN    FRANCISCO,    CAU 


/ 


Let  me  arise,  and  away 
To  the  land  that  guards  the  dying  day, 
Whose  burning  tear,  the  evening-star, 
Drops  silently  to  the  wave  afar ; 
The  land  where  summers  never  cease 
Their  sunny  psalm  of  light  and  peace. 
Whose  moonlight,  poured  for  years  untold, 
Has  drifted  down  in  dust  of  gold ; 
Those  morning  splendor^,  fallen  in  showers, 
Leave  ceaseless  sunrise  in  the  Bowers. 

—EDWARD  ROWLAND  SILL. 


273462 


THE 

California  Promotion  Committee 

OF  SAN   FRANCISCO 


The  California  Promotion  Committee  is  composed  of 
fifteen  representative  business  men  of  San  Francisco  and 
the  State  selected  from  the  different  commercial  organiza- 
tions, and  has  for  its  object  the  promotion  of  the 
development  and  the  advertising  of  the  resources  of  Cal- 
ifornia with  a  view  of  inducing  people  to  locate  in  the 
State. 

The  members  of  the  Committee  give  their  services 
gratuitously  and  their  well-known  reputation  insures  to 
all  inquirers  unbiased  and  unprejudiced  information.  The 
funds  for  carrying  on  this  work  are  subscribed  by  a  large 
number  of  bankers,  merchants,  professional  men  and  others 
of  the  city  of  San  Francisco^ 

The  California  Promotion  Committee  has  representa- 
tives in  all  portions  of  the  State  and  is  kept  conversant 
with  the  conditions  in  the  several  localities,  thus  enabling 
it  to  direct  and  properly  locate  newcomers  to  California 
according  to  their  various  inclinations,  whether  they  come 
as  visitors  or  wage-earners.  The  Committee  maintains 
headquarters  in  the  central  part  of  the  city  of  San  Fran- 
cisco convenient  to  the  hotels  and  other  points  of  interest, 
where  all  are  cordially  welcome  and  reliably  informed 
regarding  the  city  and  State.  At  these  headquarters  may 
be  found  reading,  writing  and  lounging  rooms  for  the  con- 
venience of  visitors. 


PERSONNKL 


-OF- 


THE  CALIFORNIA  PROMOTION  COMMITTEE 


MEMBERS 

Andrea  Sbabboro,  Chairman,  San  Francisco, 

RUFDS  P.  Jennings,  Executive  Officer,  San  Francisco, 

Charles  Bundschu,  Treasurer,  San  Francisco, 

Geo.  W.  McNear           -          •  -  San  Francisco, 

W.  A.  BisSELii      .          -          -  -  San  Francisco, 

Arthur  R.  Bbiggs        -         -  -  Fresno, 

James  A.  Barr    ...  -  Stockton, 

N.  P.  Chipman     ...  -  Bed  Bluff, 

Will  S.  Green    -          -          -  -  Colusa, 

W.  H.  Mills         ....  San  Francisco, 

E.  O.  McCoRMiCK          -          -  -  San  Francisco, 

V.  A.  SCHELLER    -          -          -  -  San  Jose, 

E.  D.  SwEETSER   .          .          -  .  Santa  Rosa, 

A.  A.  Watkins    -          -          -  -  San  Francisco, 

C.  M.  WoosTER    -          -          -  -  San  Jose, 


REPRESENTING 

Manufacturers'  and  Producers'  Assn. 
Chamber  of  Commerce 
Merchants'  Association 
Merchants'  Association 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad 
California  State  Board  of  Trade 
San  Joaquin  Valley  Commercia  Assn. 
California  State  Board  of  Trade 
Sacramento  Valley  Development  Assn. 
California  State  Board  of  Trade. 
Southern  Pacific  Company 
Coast  Counties  Association 
California  State  Board  of  Trade 
San  Francisco  Board  of  Trade 
California  State  Board  of  Trade 


^     % 


Executive  Committee 

Andrea  Sbarboro  W.  H.  Mills  Charles  Bundschu 

Geo.  W.  McNear  A.  A.  Watkins  Rufus  P.  Jennings  N.  P.  Chipman 


Committee  on  Finance 
Charles  Bundschu 
Arthur  R.  Briggs 
A.  A.  Watkins 


Committee  on  Advertising 
and  Conventions 

e.  o.  mccobmick 
Rufus  P  Jennings 
c.  m.  wooster 


Committee  on  Colonization 
James  A.  Barr 
Will  S.  Green 
v.  a.  scheller 


Committee  on   Manufactures 
A.  Sbabboro 
Geo.  W.  McNear 
N.  P.  Chipman 


Committee  on   Employment 
A.  A.  Watkins 

W.   A  BiSSELL 
E.  D.  SWEETSER 


A.  Frank  Hess 
Secretary 


Committee  on  Exhibits 

C.  M.  WOOSTER 

W.  H.  Mills 
Arthur  R.  Briggs 


CHAPTER   I. 

INTRODUCTION.  Purpose  of  the  Bodk  —  Recent  Events  that  Have  Caused  an 
Awakening  in  the  West  —  The  Oriental  Outlook  —  Alaskan  Development  — 
Annexation  of  Hawaii  —  Gold  Mining  —  Horticultural  Progress  —  The 
Charm  of  Climate  —  A  State  for  Comfort  and  Prosperity  —  Demand  for 
Men  of  Energy  and  Thrift  —  Facts  Little  Known  Heretofore  Concerning 
Marvelous  Fertility  and  Climate  of  Central  and  Upper  Portions  of  Cali- 
fornia—  Oranges,  Olives,  and  Tropical  Fruits  in  Northern  Counties  —  A 
Vast  Empire  with  Tremendous  Possibilities. 


The  Californian  loves  his  State  because  his  State 
loves  him,  and  he  returns  her  love  with  a  fierce  affection 
that  men  of  other  regions  are  slow  to  understand. 

— David  Starr  Jordan. 


CALIFORNIA  TO-DAY! 
The  phrase  speaks  of  present  opportunity  in  the 
great  State  that  is  bound  to  be  greater —  greater  in 
population,  in  resources  that  result  from  skill  and  trade, 
in  commerce  compelled  by  the  world's  demands.  This 
volume  is  designed  to  tell  and  to  picture  concisely,  truth- 
fully, and  plainly,  the  chief  facts  relative  to  the  State  and 
its  possibilities;  facts  such  as  will  answer  briefly  the  ques- 
tions that  might  be  asked  by  anyone  thinking  of  making 
California  his  home. 

No  book  of  this  size  could  do  more  than  to  satisfy 
interest  in  briefest  detail  ;  to  point  the  way  to  knowledge 
that  may  be  had  for  the  asking  ;  to  refer  to  and  to  quote  men 
whose  authority  in  special  lines  is  recognized  the  world 
over;  to  give  figures  of  Government  and  State  officials; 
to  tell  of  things  from  the  standpoint  of  the  writer's  experi- 
ence ;  and  last,  but  above  all,  to  present  by  the  finest 
reproductions  of  photographs,  scenes  of  natural  beauty,  of 
industries,  of  houses,  lands,  factories,  horses,  cattle,  door- 
yards,  dairies,  race-courses,  irrigation  ditches,  poultry 
yards,  business  blocks,  buildings  in  the  chief  cities,  parks, 
steamships,    railroads — the    thousand   things    that    mean 


O      >      i     > 


10  "'"'"  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

much  to  one  whose  face  is  turned  toward  the  F'arthest 
West — all  this  is  here  attempted  and  accomplished  in 
reasonable  measure. 

To  the  stranger  to  all  things  Californian,  to  one  who 
forgets  that  the  State's  area  is  larger  than  all  England 
and  Scotland  combined,  there  may  be  found  some  lack, 
but  enough  is  here  compressed  to  excite  the  wonder  of 
anyone  reasonably  familiar  with  the  vastness  and  the 
variety  of  California's  resources.  To  tell  in  any  satisfying 
detail  of  products,  of  industries,  of  men  behind  them,  and 
opportunities  for  others,  would  require  an  Encyclopedia 
Californica  as  large  as  the  Britannica. 
Newworid  /pj^-g  g^^^^  ^^^^  to-day  faces  the  Orient  is  scarcely  a 

Old  World,  half  century  old,  but  the  years  have  been  years  of  active, 
many-sided  progress.  Their  history  is  that  of  civilization 
in  brief,  of  the  subduing  of  wilderness,  of  home-making 
under  skies  as  blue  as  Italy's  and  air  as  beatific,  by  men 
and  women  of  brain  and  muscle;  of  the  growth  here,  in  fifty 
years,  of  a  State  where  a  million  and  a  half  of  people  have 
homes;  of  the  impetus  westward  following  events  of  the 
Spanish  war  until  to-day  the  New  World  and  the  Old 
World  face  each  other  through  the  California  gateway. 
Westward  the  j^  ccutury  ago,  and  the  century  through,  Europe  and 

Empire.  America  have  shaken  fists  and  shaken  hands  by  turns 
across  the  Atlantic.  To-day  at  the  opening  of  the 
Twentieth  Century  the  path  of  progress  is  over  the  Pacific. 
Old  World  powers  are  gathering  their  forces  in  the  Orient. 
Alaska  and  "the  isles  of  the  sea"  belong  to  America.  The 
course  of  empire  is  still  westward  as  much  to-day  as  when 
wise  Bishop  Berkeley  penned  his  famous  prophecy.  And 
the  pathway  across  the  United  States  is  through  California. 

To  tell,  then,  of  this  big  State  and  the  gateway,  where 


Increase  of 

State 

Products. 


— East  is  East  and  West  is  West, 

is  the  object  of  this  volume.  It  tells  many  old  facts  and 
many  new  ones.  It  tells,  for  example,  that  all  New 
England  and  New  York  and  -Pennsylvania  besides  may  be 
laid  out  in  California's  giant  area  of  mountain  and  valley, 
but  it  notes,  too,  that  California  is  fast  taking  a  leading 


12  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

place  among  the  creative  art  centers  in  the  world.  That 
the  harbor  of  San  Francisco  is  one  where  the  fleets  of  all 
nations  may  easily  ride  at  anchor  at  one  time  is  here 
noted,  as  well  as  the  later  significant  fact  that  the  gold 
product  of  all  the  fifty-seven  counties  of  California,  for  the 
year  1902,  over  $17,000,000,  far  exceeded  the  total  gold 
product  of  the  Klondike  since  its  discovery.  It  is  well 
worth  noting,  too,  that  whereas  in  1890  the  total  orange 
shipments  east  filled  only  4,016  carloads,  in  1901-1902 
they  were  considerably  over  24,000  carloads,  a  contrast 
that  tells  wonders  of  the  industry  and  the  pluck  of  the 
orange  growers  of  the  State. 
The  Wonders  To  the  straugcr,  California,  so  vast  and  so  varied,  is 

out-of-Doors.  bewildering.  Few,  even  of  old  residents,  know  one-half 
of  its  attributes  or  its  charms.  Its  very  sun  and  sky  and 
air  fascinate.  Frowning  cliffs  and  towering  trees  all  speak 
of  the  wonders  of  out-of-door  living.  The  new-comer 
should  form  a  fairly  definite  idea  of  what  he  desires  in 
home  surroundings,  and  then  seek  for  his  ideal.  Its 
attainment  is  sure;  he  has  only  to  decide.  If  he  does 
not  care  for  the  prize-winning  oranges  of  Porterville, 
Palermo,  Redlands,  or  Riverside,  he  may  prefer  the 
matchless  apples  of  Watson ville  or  of  the  half-way- to- 
top  Sierra,  of  Nimshew  or  Susanville,  or  of  the  other 
mountain  regions.  If  he  cares  naught  for  mountains,  let 
him  seek  the  valleys;  if  aweary  of  landscape  let  him  seek 
the  never-tiring  sea. 
Why  not  '(The  publishers  of  this  volume  —  The  California 
Promotion  Committee — are  men  who  believe  in  all  Cali- 
fornia, who  know  its  resources,  are  sure  of  its  possibilities, 
and  wish  others  to  share  their  knowledge,  and  come  to 
this  winterless  land  to  live  and  prosper  in  never-ending 
thankfulness  for  climatic  comfort.  ' 
California  Givcu  suushiuc  and  spring-like  weather  through  all 

the  winter  months,  and  Nature  comes  close  to  doing  the 
rest.  To  the  resident  or  the  tourist  in  California  in 
winter  the  question  is  not  so  much  what  to  do  as  when. 
In  the  infinite  variety  of  recreations,  of  diverse  sports,  of 
many  things  to  do  in  the  open  air,  the  seeker  for  home  or 


Come  this 
Way,  too 


Winter  Con- 
ditions. 


THE   STATE  '  13 

for  health  or  diversion  is  bewildered,  never  bored.  Spring- 
time ever  suggests  to  the  man  weary  of  snow  and  stoves 
all  sorts  of  cheery  things.     The 

— new  grass  pointing  out  the  way 
For  flowers  to  follow  everywhere, 

suggests  tramps  afield,  botanizing  tours  or  early  wild 
flower  hunts.  That  feeling  begins  in  California's  Novem- 
ber, for  then  the  new  grass  is  sprouting,  and  tips  of  early 
grain  will  soon  show  through  the  summer-fallowed  soil. 
An  odd  but  welcome  impression  it  is  to  travel  westward  to 
the  Pacific,  leaving  snowflakes  in  Boston  or  Chicago,  and 
to  run  down  the  Sierra  slopes  into  California's  winter- 
spring.  There's  a  fragrance  of  upturning  soil  and  the 
meadow  lark's  thrilling  notes — never  a  suggestion  of 
winter.  The  traveler  has  the  feeling  of  having  skipped 
at  least  five  pages  of  the  almanac! 

It  is  immaterial — and  this  is  something  all  tourists  ^^l^  ^^ 
and  health  seekers  do  not  realize — whether  the  seeker  for  ciimate. 
comfort  and  sport  in  winter  enters  California  by  the 
central  or  southern  routes  of  travel,  for  the  soft  air  of 
alluring  days  will  greet  him  at  both  points.  There  are 
nooks,  both  north  and  south,  where  winter  living  is  idyllic. 
Thousands  of  people  to-day  know  of  the  palms  and  orange 
groves  of  Pasadena,  where  ten  might  tell  of  the  attrac- 
tions, for  example,  of  St.  Helena,  or  Woodland,  or  Modesto, 
five  hundred  miles  away  to  the  north.  Yet  there  are 
palms  and  oranges  and  olives  and  pomegranates  and  a 
wealth  of  tropic  fruit  and  tropic  air  in  and  around  those 
other  points.  And  these  places — St.  Helena  and  Pasadena 
and  Woodland  and  Modesto  and  Riverside— merely  stand 
as  types  of  sunny  winter  resorts  where  the  snow-weary 
may  gather,  and  sport  or  idle  the  hours  away. 

The  stranger  to  California  is  to  bear  in  mind  that  ^^^rtJ^'^ 
climatic  conditions  are  more  a  matter  of  east  and  west 
than  of  north  and  south.  Go  to  the  Sierra  in  winter  and 
one  may  get  all  the  sleigh  rides  he  wants,  but  nearer  the 
sea-coast,  in  sunny  valleys,  the  air  is  tempered,  and  a 
tropic  clime  is  there. 

Golf  is  the  ideal  winter  sport  for  Californians.     *' You 


14  CAIvIFORNIA  TO-DAY 

^'^°Keep  ^^^5  there's  so  much  outdoors  here !"  a  golf  devotee  half- 
sportsmen  apologetically  explained.  Not  a  hotel  of  any  note  but  has 
golf  links  of  inspiring  dimensions.  The  links  at  Coro- 
nado,  at  Redlands,  at  Riverside,  at  Los  Angeles,  at  Santa 
Barbara,  at  Del  Monte,  at  San  Rafael,  at  San  Jose,  at  Paso 
Robles,  and  on  the  big  Presidio  reservation  at  San  Francisco, 
are  among  the  best  known.  But  the  great  game  has  taken 
fast  hold  on  people  devoted  to  athletics  and  sunshine 
sports,  and  new  links  in  out-of-the-way  spots  are  being  laid 
out  every  day.  Golf,  tennis,  polo,  wheeling,  fishing,  walk- 
ing, riding,  and  all  the  out-of-dooring  one  can  imagine,  in- 
cluding gardening  in  manifold  forms,  are  here  for  the  nature 
lover,  and  the  sport  enthusiast  to  do  and  to  dare.  If  he  wan- 
der about  the  State,  to  any  of  the  big  first-class  hotels  that 
are  fast  dotting  the  landscape  of  every  tourist  town,  he  will 
find  all  the  accessories  of  rest  and  recreation.  "This  is  a 
sportsman's  paradise!"  exclaimed  a  well-known  eastern 
man  a  few  years  ago,  as  he  stood  beside  a  Sierra  lake  in 
September  and  pulled  out  the  ros3^-tinted  rainbow  trout  by 
the  dozen.  If  he  had  waited  until  winter  he  might  have 
made  a  similar  exclamation,  not  beside  that  Sierra  lake,  per- 
haps, but  elsewhere  within  this  State  of  continuous  charm. 

Climate  Bccause  California   winters   are  ideal,  the   State  has 

winter  and 

Summer!  gained  justly  a  reputation  for  cheerful  comfort  that  draws 
thousands  annually  from  res^ions  of  wind  and  ice  and 
snow.  Why  sit  beside  steam  pipes  or  hug  coal  stoves  when 
you  can  bask  in  the  sunshine  under  an  orange  tree  ?  But 
do  all  seekers  for  comfort  and  health  realize  that  California 
summers  are  idyllic  ?  Here  is  opportunity  for  escaping  from 
overpowering  summer  heat  as  surely  as  later  the  California 
trip  means  the  dodging  of  icicles  and  snowballs.  Here  is 
the  paradise  of  the  camper  and  the  sportsman,  for  no  rain- 
storms will  come  to  upset  outing  calculations.  Here  is 
the  most  equable  of  climates,  joined  with  chances  to  meet" 
Nature  at  first  hand,  in  mountain  canyons  or  big  tree 
groves.  Here  are  Sierra  lakes  so  filled  with  trout  that  a 
cubic  water  ordinance  ought  to  be  enforced,  and  here  are 
hundreds  of  mineral  springs,  shown  by  medical  science  to 
be   not    only    equal,  but    superior,  to    the  famed    Nature 


.       .  16  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

fountains  of  the  old  world.     Surely  California  as  a  sum- 
mer resort  takes  second  place  with  no  region  on  earth. 
Good-bye  to  Conversation    about    climate    is    usually    a    sedative; 

Big  Fuel  Bills.  -11    i  -i  1  r       •  -1  1 

figures  tell  best  the  truths  ot  air  and  temperature,  and 
later  on  the  records  of  government  weather  officials  will 
speak  for  themselves.  For  prospective  settlers  as  well  as 
tourists  there  is  pleasure  in  the  thought  of  climatic  com- 
fort. It's  an  old  story  to  Californians,  but  to  men  who 
have  endured  blizzards  and  have  paid  fuel  bills  big  enough 
to  endow  a  college,  the  subject  has  fascinating  interest. 
Libraries  could  be  filled  in  telling  pleasure  seekers  of  the 
attractive  resorts  of  California.  San  Francisco  with  its 
Cliff  House,  and  its  picturesque  harbor  and  cool  air,  is 
not  to  be  slighted  as  a  seaside  resort.  Then  there  are 
Coronado,  Santa  Cruz,  Aptos,  Capitola,  Del  Monte,  Pacific 
Grove,  Bolinas,  Pescadero,  San  Luis  Obispo,  Pismo  Beach, 
Santa  Barbara,  San  Buenaventura,  Santa  Monica,  Long 
Beach,  Santa  Catalina  Island  and  Newport  and  many  others. 
All  Kinds  of  Of  mineral  springs  there  are  enough  in  the  Sierra 

Mineral  ,  ^     .        ^     ^  ^     ^^ 

Springs,  regiou  and  m  Lake,  Napa  and  Sonoma  counties  to  drive 
Germany  out  of  business  could  their  health-restoring 
qualities  once  become  known  to  the  many  sufferers 
who  annually  seek  the  waters  of  Europe.  The  Shasta,. 
Aetna,  Napa  Soda,  Paso  Robles,  Santa  Ysabel,  Paraiso,, 
Congress,  Bartlett,  Lytton,  and  Highland  Springs,  and 
those  around  Santa  Barbara,  are  among  the  best  known. 
Among  the  big  trees  of  the  State  the  tourist  or 
recreation-seeker  ever  finds  instruction  and  pleasure.  In 
the  Mariposa,  Calaveras,  Grant  and  Giant  forests,  in  the 
Big  Basin  or  Sempervirens  Park  of  Santa  Cruz,  the  lover 
of  Nature  may  wander  and  wonder  in  endless  enjoyment. 

"^^Mountlins'  Aud    thcu    the    mountains!     From    Shasta    to    San 

Jacinto,  from  Diablo  to  Whitney,  they  are  ever  new  and 
ever  alluring  to  the  admirer  of  Nature's  rugged  handi- 
work. With  Yosemite  always  first,  and  Hetch  Hetchy 
and  Tehipite,  and  the  canyons  of  Kings  and  Kern  rivers, 
and  Lake  Tahoe  and  its  marvels,  and  the  Truckee  and 
McCloud  rivers,  there  is  wide  choice  for  the  man  w^ho 
oves  the  mountains.     At  Mt.  Hamilton  and  Echo  moun- 


THE   STATE  19 

tain,  astronomers  may  be  made  happy,  while  varied 
attractions  may  be  found  at  Mt.  Lowe,  Mt.  Tamalpais, 
Mt.  Wilson,  Mt.  Howell,  and  hundreds  of  other  sky- 
scraping  summits. 

Concerning  society  and  education  and  the  general 
outlook  here,  note  these  words  of  President  David  Starr 
Jordan,  of  Stanford  University  : 

''With  all  this,  the  social  life  is,  in  its  essentials,  that  ^^^^l^^""^ 
of  the  rest  of  the  United  States,  for  the  same  blood  flows  Education. 
in  the  veins  of  those  whose  influence  dominates  it.  Under 
all  its  deviations  and  variations  lies  the  old  Puritan  con- 
science, which  is  still  the  backbone  of  the  civilization  of 
the  republic.  Life  in  California  is  a  little  fresher,  a  little 
freer,  a  good  deal  richer,  in  its  physical  aspects,  and  for 
these  reasons,  more  intensely  and  characteristically 
American.  With,  perhaps,  ninety-five  per  cent  of  identity 
there  is  five  per  cent  of  divergence,  and  this  five  per  cent 
I  have  emphasized  even  to  exaggeration.  We  know  our 
friends  by  their  slight  differences  in  feature  or  expression, 
not  by  their  common  humanity.  Much  of  this  divergence  is 
already  fading  away.  Scenery  and  climate  remain,  but  there 
is  less  elbow-room,  and  the  unearned  increment  is  disap- 
pearing. That  which  is  solid  will  endure;  the  rest  will 
vanish.  The  forces  that  ally  us  to  the  East  are  growing 
stronger  every  year  with  the  immigration  of  men  with  new 
ideas.  The  vigorous  growth  of  the  two  universities  in  Cali- 
fornia insures  the  elevation  as  well  as  the  retention  of  these 
ideas.     Through  their  influence  California  will  contribute  Development 

^  .  of  the 

a  generous  share  to  the  social  development  of  the  East,  universities, 
and  be  a  giver  as  well  as  a  receiver.  To-day  the  pressure 
of  higher  education  is  greater  to  the  square  mile,  if  we 
may  use  such  an  expression,  than  anj^where  else  in  our 
country.  In  no  other  State  is  the  path  from  the  farm- 
house to  the  college  so  well  trodden  as  here.  It  requires  no 
prophet  to  forecast  that  educational  pre-eminence  is  already 
assured.  But  however  close  the  alliance  with  Eastern 
culture,  to  the  last  certain  traits  will  persist. 

"California  is  the  most  cosmopolitan  of  all  the  States 
of  the  Union,  and  such  she  will  remain.    Whatever  the 


The  Need  of 
California 


20  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

fates  may  bring,  her  people  will  be  tolerant,  hopeful  and 
adequate,  sure  of  themselves,  masters  of  the  present,  fear- 
less of  the  future." 

I  Contrast  the  population  of  California  with  the  popu- 
Today.  lation  of  the  snug  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.     Bear 
in    mind   the   possibilities    of  land  fertility,    of  growing 
cities,  and  some  of  the  many  causes  that  develop  a  grow- 
ing State   and    see    that    California    to-day   has  room  for 
double  and  treble   its  present    population,  room  for  mil- 
lions more  to  live  and  thrive  in  climatic  comfort.     Cali- 
fornia to-day  needs  men   and  women,  needs  them  in  the 
cities  as  well  as  in  the  country,  in  the  fruit  orchards,  hop 
fields,  grain  fields,  and  mines;  has  need  for  laboring  men, 
for  men  of  trades,  for  men  of  small  capital.     Idlers  are 
not  wanted,  nor  men  who   think    the  world  owes  them  a 
living,  or  believe  they  can  pick  gold   from  the  streets  in 
this  land  of  gold.     There  is  gold  in  the  soil,  and  on  top 
of  the  soil,  but   it    can  be  had  only  by  persistent  labor. 
There  is  certain  success  here  and  a  mild  climate  and  a 
broad  outlook,  and  young  and  old  of  whatever   place  or 
class,  desirous  of  a   better   condition  or  of  greater  things 
in  life,  are  urged  to  read  of  California   and   consider   the 
advantages  that  residence  offers.     In  this  book  all  lines 
of  industries  and  of  social  life  conditions  cannot  be  touched 
upon  in  detail.    Reference  to  the  index,  to  pages  of  statis- 
tics and   to   miscellaneous  published  volumes   cannot  but 
prove  helpful  to  all    those  desiring  more  detailed   infor- 
mation. 

Information  In  Sau  Fraucisco  the  publishers  of  this  volume — The 

for  the  Asliing.     ^i.^.-r.  •  r^  •  ..,, 

Laliiornia  Promotion  Committee — maintain  headquarters 
with  well-informed  assistants  whose  duty  it  is  to  give 
information  concerning  the  State  to  all  applicants.  If  there 
are  questions  unanswered  in  this  book — and  inevitably 
there  are  many — write  to  the  California  Promotion  Com- 
mittee at  the  address  given  elsewhere  and  a  prompt  reply 
and  as  definite  information  as  it  is  possible  to  secure  is 
assured  the  correspondent.  This  committee  has  no  lands 
to  sell  and  no  cause  to  advocate  beyond  the  settlement  of 
California.  ! 


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CHAPTER  II. 

SAN  FRANCISCO  —  The  Wonderful  City  by  the  Golden  Gate  — Its  Unique 
Characteristics  —  Growth  Following  the  Discovery  of  Gold  —  Unrivalled 
Situation  for  Controlling  the  Commerce  of  the  Pacific  —  At  the  Gateway  of 
the  Great  Interior  Valley  of  California  —  Recent  Increase  in  Commerce, 
Bank  Clearings,  Manufactures,  and  Industries  —  A  Vigorous  Municipality 
with  Stirring  History  —  The  New  Charter  and  Reformed  Government  — 
Remarkable  Building  Activity  —  In  vestments  of  Eastern  Capital  and  Oppor- 
tunities —  Manufactures  aud  Cheap  Fuel  —  Shipbuilding  —  A  Rendezvous  for 
War  Vessels  —  The  Battleship  Oregon  and  its  Builders— Equable  Climate, 
making  City  a  Favorite  Summer  as  well  as  Winter  Resort  —  Two,  Transcon- 
tinental Railroads  and  More  Coming  —  Steamship  Lines  to  Alaska,  Mexico, 
the  Orient,  Australia,  and  Islands  of  the  Pacific  —  Growth  of  Arts  and 
Letters  —  Young  Writers  and  Painters  Gaining  World  Fame  —  Social  Life 
and  Characteristics  —  Cost  of  Living  —  Cheap  Suburban  Transportation. 


Vea,  here  sit  we  by  the  Golden  Gate, 
Nor  demanding  much,  but  inviting  you  all, 

Nor  publishing  loud,  but  daring  to  wait, 

And  great  in  much  that  the  days  deem  small. 
— Joaquin  Miller. 


A  HALF  CENTURY  AGO,  San  Francisco,  Califor- 
nia's metropolis,  was  little  more  than  a  sand-hill 
settlement.  To-day  it  is  a  populous  city  of  over 
four  hundred  thousand  inhabitants  and  an  outlook  before 
it,  commercial,  industrial,  and  social,  second  to  no  other 
city  in  the  w^orld.  In  its  land-locked  harbor,  to-day,  fly 
•the  flags  of  ships  of  all  nations.  Through  its  Golden 
Gate,  out  across  the  Pacific  to  the  Orient,  north  to 
Alaska,  south  to  Mexico,  Central  and  South  America 
and  to  the  islands  of  the  sea,  go  steamships  and  sailing 
craft  laden  with  passengers  and  diversified  cargoes. 
Hawaii,  Philippines,  Alaska,  the  awakening  Orient  — 
these  mean  a  new  San  Francisco.  Westward,  across  the 
continent,  a  half-dozen  new  lines  of  railway  are  approach- 
ing California's  metropolis.  The  West  is  wide  awake; 
the  East  is  looking  westward;  old  things  are  passing 
away;  new  things  are  here;  action  is  in  the  air. 


Marvelous 
Growth. 


24  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

The  past  year  shows  unprecedented  activity  in  all 
lines,  in  real  estate  transfers,  in  clearing  house  receipts, 
in  building  contracts.  Huge  structures  of  steel  and  stone, 
— a  credit  to  any  city — have  been  built.  More  are  being 
constructed.  Capital  from  the  older  eastern  cities,  as  well 
as  from  the  centers  of  finance  abroad,  is  being  invested 
here.  No  longer  do  those  lines  of  Bret  Harte  truthfully 
describe  the  city, 

Serene,  indijBFerent  to  Fate, 
Thou  sittest  at  the  Western  gate. 


Currents 
of 


In  1902  total  real  estate  sales  in  San  Francisco  county 
Trade,  amouutcd  to  $41,000,000;  in  1901,  $29,147,969,  an  increase 
for  the  year  of  over  $10,000,000.  The  coinage  at  the 
United  States  Mint  (1902)  aggregated  $47,310,988.00.  In 
1901, $81,072, 490.  Total  receipts  of  customs  duty  paid 
into  the  United  States  Treasury,  San  Francisco,  dur- 
ing 1902,  $7,735  015.42;  1901,  $7,125,082.34;  1900, 
$7,693,342.  Wheat  exports  from  San  Francisco  during 
1902  were  9,152,436  centals,  valued  at  $10,213,105; 
1901,  9,294,538  centals  valued  at  $9,526,812;  1900,  7,733,- 
667  centals  valued  at  7,923,347;  1899,  3,245,434  centals 
valued  at  $3,576,329.  Nine  savings  banks  of  San  Fran- 
cisco held  on  deposit  December  31,  1902,  $144,295,034.57; 
on  December  31st,  1901,  $133,430,482.  The  rapid  growth 
of  the  city  is  shown  by  its  total  bank  clearings  for  the 
past  five  years,  which  were  as  follows:  1898,  $813,153,024; 
1899,  $971,015,072;  1900,  $1,029,582,594;  1901,  $1,178,169,- 
536;  1902,  $1,342,927,204. 

un°quermong  ^^^  Fraucisco  is  uuique  among  cities,  a  study  among 

the  Cities,  the  municipalities  of  the  world.  Here  are  many  charac- 
teristics of  older  places,  adjusted  to  cosmopolitan  demands. 
On  this  peninsula  has  grown  up  a  city  eighth  in  size 
among  the  cities  of  the  nation.  Qualities  of  West  and 
Bast,  and  North  and  South,  are  here  mingled  and  devel- 
oped. Practical  and  poetical  sides  of  life  here  touch  in 
equal  and  harmonious  growth.  Painter  and  musician, 
stockbroker  and  merchant,  are  shoulder  to  shoulder. 
Progress  in  commerce  and  literature  has  been  conspicu- 
ous.    Critics  remark  to  see  such  lines  of  endeavor,  of  par- 


ALONG  THE  SAN  FRANCISCO  WATER  FRONT,  WHERE   ARE   MOORED  SHIPS   FROM 
THE    PORTS    OP    ALL.    THE    WORLD, 


26  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

allel  growth  in  the  same  community.  Here  is  the  soft 
air  and  blue  sky  of  Milan,  the  marine  outlook  of  Naples, 
with  Mount  Taraalpais  personating  Vesuvius;  the  hills  of 
Rome,  the  winter  climate  of  the  Riviera,  and  people  who 
are  the  combination  of  New  England  energy  and  Oriental 
luxury. 

Sdividlmuty^  The   open-air  life  that  is  possible  the  year  through, 

coupled  with  the  coming  hither,  in  the  search  either  for 
riches  or  for  health,  of  the  world's  best  brain  and  brawn, 
have  formed  here,  on  the  Nation's  western  shore,  a  com- 
munity that  stands  for  untrammeled  individuality.  The 
genius,  free  from  conventions,  here  finds  breathing  room. 
In  books  and  on  canvas  these  truths  have  already 
been  demonstrated. 

The  characteristics  of  the  city  are  the  characteristics 
of  the  State  in  a  measure.  Newcomers  hear  in  California 
and  in  San  Francisco  much  of  the  missions  and  see  some 
of  them,  that  chain  of  land-marks  along  the  old  King's 
Highway  from  Mexico  to  San  Francisco  and  beyond.  They 
mark  the  pathway  of  the  padres  of  old  Spain,  who  founded 
in  the  wilderness  of  that  age,  at  intervals  of  a  day's 
journey,  buildings  for  worship  marked  by  the  cross  of 
Stories  of  Christ.     The  story  of  it  all,  of  old  Father  Junipero  Serra 

the  City.  i   ■,   •  •  •  .,.  r\       •         i  r 

and  his  associates,  is  attractive  history,  bo  is  the  story  or 
the  Argonauts  following  the  gold  discovery  in  January, 
1848;  so  is  the  story  of  this  unique  city  built  here  by  men 
who  came  for  gold;  and  then  gold  finding  and  gold  mining, 
fruit  growing,  stock  raising,  and  stock  broking,  exciting 
political  troubles  of  early  days,  the  sandlot  demagogism, 
the  anti-Chinese  movement,  all  help  to  form  a  history 
worth  reading  about,  but  a  history  too  long  for  the  telling 
here,  too  fascinating  for  the  reader  who  wishes  to  learn  of 
things  more  vital,  of  California  and  of  San  Francisco  to-day. 

'^^^iSTand  These    stories   of  history  are   a  backward   look,    but 

Action,  there  is  a  living  present  on  the  Pacific  shores  to-day,  and  a 
forward  look  that  can  have  no  backward  glancing.  Things 
are  doing  here,  and  busy  men  need  now  to  learn  only  of 
progress,  pf  advances  in  value,  of  chances  for  investment, 
while  over  all  and  around  all  is  the  lure  that  here,  on  this 


SAN    FRANCISCO  27 

western  shore,  is  a  climate  of  comfort,  of  chances  for  out- 
of-door  exercise  and  out-of-door  daily  pleasures  all  the 
year  around  —  no  cyclones,  no  blizzards,  no  thunder- 
storms, nothing  but  soft-falling  rains  and  sunshine. 

In    the   half-century   just   passed,    history   has   been  ^"^0*0^ 
making  rapidly  here  in  the  far  West,  but  it  is  history  that  tuecity. 
means   something,   and  history   that  stands:     Here   is   a 
picture  of  the  city  sketched  by  that  noted   Hnglishman, 
James  Bryce,  in  his  ''American  Commonwealth."  He  says: 
"Few  cities  in  the  world  can  vie  with  San  Francisco 
either  in  the  beauty  or  in  the  natural  advantages  of  her 
situation;  indeed,  there   are  only  two  places  in  Kurope — 
Constantinople  and  Gibraltar — that  combine   an    equally 
perfect  landscape    with    what    may    be    called  an  equallj'- 
imperial  position.     Before  you    there  is  the  magnificent 
bay,  with  its    far-stretching  arms   and  rocky    isles,    and 
beyond  it  the  faint  line  of  the  Sierra  Nevada,  cutting  the 
clear  air  like  mother  of  pearl;  between  mountains  through 
which  ships  bear  in  commerce  from  the  farthest  shores  of 
the  Pacific;  to  the  right,  vallej^s  rich  with  corn  and  wine, 
sweeping  away  to  the  southern  horizon.     The  city  itself 
is  full  of  bold  hills,  rising  steeply  from  the  deep  water. 
The  air  is  keen,  dr}^  and  bright,  like  the  air  of  Greece,  and 
the  waters  not  less  blue.      Perhaps  it  is  the  air  and  light, 
recalling  the  cities  of  the  Mediterranean,  that  makes  one 
involjintarily  look  up  to  the  top  of  these  hills    for  the 
feudal  castle   or   the    ruins  of  the  Acropolis,  which,  one 
thinks,  must  crown  them." 

All  the  world  of  letters  and  all  the  world  of  men  who 
knew  him  loved  "the  Tusitala,"  Robert  Louis  Stevenson, 
romancer  and  wizard  of  the  South  Seas  and  essayist  of 
rarest  worth.     Said  he  of  San  Francisco: 

"But  San  Francisco  is  not  herself  only.     She  is  not  Robert 

•^  Louis 

only   the    most  interesting   city    in    the    Union    and    the  Stevenson's 

1  1-  r-i,-  •  -.,  Words. 

nugest  smelting  pot  01  races  and  of  precious  metals;  she 
keeps,  besides,  the  doors  of  the  Pacific,  and  is  the  port  of 
entry  to  another  world  and  an  earlier  epoch  to  man's 
history.  Nowhere  else  will  you  observe  (in  the  ancient 
phrase)  so  many  tall  ships  as  here  convene  from  round  the 


28  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 


Craft  from  the 
South  Seas. 


Discovery  of 
San  Francisco 


Horn,  from  China,  from  Sydney,  and  the  Indies;  but 
scarce  remarked  amid  •  that  crowd  of  deep-sea  giants 
another  class  of  craft,  the  island  schooner,  circulates — low 
in  the  water,  with  lofty  spars,  and  dainty  lines,  rigged 
and  fashioned  like  a  yacht,  manned  with  brown-skinned, 
soft-spoken,  sweet-eyed,  native  sailors,  and  equipped  with 
their  great  double-ender  boats,  that  tell  a  tale  of  boisterous 
sea-beaches. 

''I  stood  there  on  the  extreme  shore  of  the  West  and 
of  to-day.  Seventeen  hundred  years  ago,  and  seven 
thousand  miles  to  the  east,  the  legionaries  stood,  perhaps, 
upon  the  walls  of  Antonius  and  looked  northward  toward 
the  mountains  of  the  Picts.  For  all  the  interval  of  time 
and  space,  I,  when  I  looked  from  the  Cliff  House,  on  the 
broad  Pacific,  was  that  man's  heir  and  analogue — each  of 
us  standing  on  the  verge  of  the  Roman  Empire  (or,  as  we 
now  call  it,  Western  Civilization),  each  of  us  gazing 
onward  into  zones  unromanized." 

This  city,  that  Mr.  Bryce  compares  to  Constantinople 
Bay-  and  Gibraltar,  is  in  latitude  37° 47'  north;  longitude 
122°  25'  west.  It  is  upon  the  west  shore  of  San  Fran- 
cisco bay,  a  land-locked  harbor  that  has  been  the  pride  of 
navigators  ever  since  Lieutenant  Juan  de  Ayala,  in 
August,  1775,  sailed  into  the  harbor  through  the  Golden 
Gate,  and  told  the  world  of  its  wonders.  It  is  twenty-six 
miles  long  and  six  miles  wide.  The  accredited  discoverer 
of  the  bay  of  San  Francisco  is  Caspar  de  Portola,  and  the 
date  November  7,  1769.  With  his  little  party  he  was  travel- 
ing northerly,  searching  for  the  Mission  of  HI  Carmelo, 
near  Monterey,  but  had  lost  his  bearings  and  traveled 
many  miles  out  of  his  way.  A  year  later  came  the 
founding  of  the  Mission  of  San  Francisco — the  Mission 
Dolores — in  memory  of  San  Francisco's  patron  saint,  St. 
Francis  of  Assisi. 

The  founding  of  Mission  Dolores,  October,  1776 — a 
campaign  of  peace  while  our  revolutionary  forefathers 
were  battling  on  the  Atlantic  Coast — was  the  beginning  of 
San  Francisco.  Then  it  was  known  as  Yerba  Buena,  and 
a    picture  of  it  is  well  drawn    in   Richard  Henry  Dana's 


30  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

"Two  Years  Before  the  Mast."  It  was  just  a  little  village 
of  hide  and  tallow  traders,  until  the  discovery  of  gold 
roused  the  world  to  send  this  way  the  best  of  men  from  all 
nations.  Here,  for  three-quarters  of  a  century,  the 
sacrificing  priests  toiled  and  taught  their  Indian  pupils. 
Here,  later,  came  troops  from  Spain  by  way  of  Mexico. 
Then  came  the  building  of  a  fort,  and  the  laying  out  of 
the  Presidio,  and  after  that,  ships  from  many  quarters  of 
the  world  for  horns,  hides  and  tallow  and  water  supply. 

January  19,  1848,  is  the  date  of  thfe  gold  discovery, 
when  James  W.  Marshall,  an  employee  of  General  John 
A.  Sutter,  found,  in  the  millrace  of  Coloma,  El  Dorado 
county,  bits  of  sparkling  metal  that  he  knew  were  gold. 
Like  the  shots  at  Lexington  and  Concord,  Marshall's  cry 
crySelfd  ^f  "Gold!"  was  heard  round  the  world.  Hither  in  two 
Round  the  years,  from   over  sea  and  over  land,  came  more  than  one 

World.    -^  '  '  _ 

hundred  thousand  adventurous  men.  San  Francisco  was 
the  rendezvous,  and  thence  up  the  river,  thence  over  the 
hills  by  mule-back  and  horse-back,  they  went  to  the  mines 
of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Stern  tales  are  told  of  these  days, 
and  the  seeker  for  the  picturesque  may  find  many  stories 
and  many  narratives  of  adventure  and  romance,  pathetic 
and  tragic,  all  relating  to  these  days  of  treasure  seek- 
ing. Mining  in  the  Sierra  and  in  the  streams  flowing 
from  it,  developed  trade  and  brought  about  a  certain 
amount  of  stock-raising  and  agriculture.  Then  the 
adventurous  men  fell  back  upon  the  towns  and  cities,  back 
to  Marysville  and  Sacramento,  to  San  Jose  and  San  Fran- 
cisco. This  city,  by  reason  of  its  location  upon  the  bay, 
of  its  vast  fish  food  supply,  of  its  small  social  center,  soon 
became  the  headquarters  and  chief  city  of  Alta  California, 
a  position  which  it  has  ever  maintained,  until  to-day  it 
holds  its  rank  ias  the  chief  city  of  the  United  States  west 
of  Chicago. 

^"^^'^oTthe  This  early   rapid  growth  of  the  city,  as   well  as  the 

Argonauts,  growth  of  California  due  to  the  gold  discovery,  meant  the 

coming   here  of  men    of  strength  of  mind,  as  well  as  of 

body.    Their  impress  has  been  left  upon  the  city  and  upon 

the  State.     Between  April  and  December,  1849, — to  indi- 


Fortifications 
of  the 


32  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

cate,  as  a  curious  fact,  the  rush  westward — 549  vessels 
brought  into  San  Francisco  harbor  over  thirty  thousand 
passengers,  and  during  the  same  months  nearly  fifty 
thousand  came  overland.  During  1849,  the  gold  dust 
receipts  at  San  Francisco  were  over  $1,500,000  and  the 
year  following  this  increased  to  $3,000,000.  In  1852 
ofiicial  shipments  of  gold  dust  aggregated  $46,599,044,  all 
of  which  meant  wealth  and  growth  for  San  Francisco.  But 
enough  of  history.     Let  us  consider  things  to-day. 

The  harbor  of  San  Francisco  is  land-locked,  the  bay 
Golden  Gate,  aud  its  conuectious  extending  north  and  south  for  about 
forty  miles  affording  deep  water  anchorage  for  the  merchant 
fleets  of  the  world.  It  is  entered  through  the  Golden 
Gate,  a  strait  five  miles  long,  and  one  mile  in  width  at  its 
narrowest  portion.  These  straits  within  the  ten  years, 
1890  to  1900,  have  been  fortified  with  the  most  approved 
modern  ordnance,  and  the  fortifications  are  recognized  by 
military  experts  as  among  the  best  defences  of  any  city  of 
the  Nation.  Within  the  bay,  several  islands  are  controlled 
by  the  Government,  and  fortified,  while  at  the  Government 
Navy  Yard  at  Mare  Island,  north  of  the  city,  and  at  the 
Union  Iron  Works,  on  the  peninsula,  are  docks  capable  of 
receiving  the  largest  modern  war  ships. 

sanFraSco'  Suburbau  commuuitics  have  grown  up  about  the  city, 

chief  among  which  are  Oakland,  Alameda,  Berkeley,  San 
Rafael,  Belvedere,  Sausalito,  San  Mateo,  Menlo  Park,  and 
Palo  Alto.  Electric  and  steam  railways  and  ferries  bring 
these  places  in  close  communication  with  the  city  at  the 
lowest  suburban  railroad  rates  in  the  world.  There  are  in 
the  city  over  140  miles  of  electric  railways,  seventy-seven 
miles  of  cable  roads,  twelve  miles  of  steam  dummy  system, 
and  ten  miles  of  horse  railway.  The  steep  hills  caused 
the  invention  here  of  the  cable  railway,  now  used  in  many 
cities  of  the  world.  Market  street  is  the  artery  from 
which  diverge  all  principal  streets.  It  is  paved  with 
bituminous  rock,  material  used  largely  on  all  the  streets. 
The  city  has  a  hundred  and  ninety-five  miles  of  paved 
streets,  and  three  hundred  and  five  miles  of  sewers.  In  the 
early  days  the  number  of  wooden  dwellings  was  consider- 


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CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


Schools, 
Libraries  and 
Museums. 


able,  but  builders  are  no  longer  hampered  by  the  fear  of 
earthquakes.  Brick  and  stone  are  being  used  more  largely, 
excellent  stone  being  found  in  the  Sierra  and  Coast 
Range,  and  business  buildings  of  ten  and  eleven  stories 
or  higher  have  been  erected.  Among  the  notable  new 
buildings  are  the  United  States  Postofiice,  the  Ferry  Build- 
ing, Hayward  Building,  Mills  Building,  Spreckels  Build- 
ing, Hall  of  Justice,  Hotel  St.  Francis,  Mutual  Savings 
Bank,  the  Crocker  Building,  Rialto  Building  and  the 
Flood  Building  on  the  old  Baldwin  Hotel  site. 

The  population  in  1890  was  298,997,  and  in  1900  it 
was  342,782.  The  population  to-day  (May,  1903)  is 
estimated  at  410,000. 

In  social  and  educational  affairs  the  city  is  farther 
advanced  than  many  communities.  There  are  five  daily 
newspapers  printed  in  the  English  language,  viz. :  The 
Examiner^  The  Chronicle^  The  Call^  The  Post,  and  The 
Bulletin.  There  are  eight  theatres.  Chief  among  the 
museums  are  those  of  the  Academy  of  Sciences,  the  State 
Mining  Bureau,  the  State  Board  of  Trade,  the  Pacific 
Commercial  Museum,  and  the  Alaska  collection,  the  last- 
named  controlled  by  the  University  of  California.  There 
is  also  a  nucleus  of  an  excellent  museum  owned  by  the 
city  and  located  in  Golden  Gate  Park,  the  result  of  the 
California  Midwinter  Fair,  a  successful  exhibition  held 
there  in  1894,  following  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago. 
There  are  eighty-two  public  schools,  with  1,017  teachers, 
a  total  enrollment  of  48,517  pupils  (June  30,  1902),  with 
average  daily  attendance  of  34,771.  The  city  has  in  all 
eleven  medical  and  dental  colleges.  There  are  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  churches  of  all  denominations,  one 
hundred  and  two  charitable  and  benefit  organizations,  and 
forty-four  hospitals  and  asylums. 


Arts  and 

Crafts 

Creative. 


Few  communities  of  the  same  age  and  period  of 
growth  can  excel  this  city  by  the  nation's  western  gate  in 
arts  creative  and  in  educational  advancement.  "It's  in 
the  air,"  is  the  common  saying,  whenever  one  hears  of 
some  prodigy  of  painter  or  poet  whose  conception  chal_ 


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36  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

lenges  admiration.  And  perhaps  it  is,  for  certainly  world 
history  shows  that  the  people  of  the  open  air,  those  who 
have  close  contact  with  Nature  through  nearly  all  the 
year,  who  revel  in  sunshine  and  high  mountains  and 
impressive  forests  primeval,  lead  the  people  of  more 
artificial  surroundings  in  craft  creative,  in  hand  and  brain 
development,  in  painting,  in  sculpture,  in  literature,  as 
well  as  in  all  athletic  sports  and  feats  of  daring. 

Padres,  Bcsidcs   tliis    natural    endowment    that    encourages 

ITthelns.  originality  and  development,  the  character  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  State  is  a  partial  explanation  of  the  condition  of 
affairs  as  we  find  them  to-day.  And  before  the  argonauts 
of  '49,  were  the  self-denying,  spiritual-minded  Mission 
fathers,  conservators  of  the  arts  and  teachers  of  men.  Rare 
paintings  brought  by  them  from  the  Old  World  may  be 
seen  to-day  well  preserved  within  the  quaint  buildings 
that  dot  the  California  coast  from  Loreto  to  Sonoma. 

About  San  Francisco  are  centered  the  chief  educational 
institutions  of  the  Pacific  Coast,  notably  the  rich  and  fast- 
growing  University  of  California,  the  new  Leland  Stanford, 
Junior,  University,  with  its  munificent  endowment;  the 
Santa  Clara  College,  oldest  of  all  California  seats  of  learn- 
ing; the  University  of  the  Pacific,  a  Methodist  institution 
of  high  class;  St.  Ignatius  College  famed  for  the  scientific 
attainments  of  its  instructors;  and  Mills  College  for  women, 
classed  as  the  Wellesley  of  the  Pacific. 
-Westward  Q£  g^jj  thcsc  collcgcs  the  Uuivcrsity  of  California,  sit- 

he  Course  of  "  -^  ' 

Empire."  uatcd  across  the  bay  from  San  Francisco,  at  Berkeley, 
named  for  Bishop  George  Berkeley,  of  Cloyne,  whose 
"Westward  the  course  of  empire  takes  its  way"  is  familiar 
to  all  schoolboys,  is  the  chief,  and  is  the  keystone  of 
California's  well-organized  educational  system.  This 
university,  whose  charter  was  granted  March  23,  1868, 
graduated  in  1902  490  students  in  its  academic  and  pro- 
fessional colleges.  Its  faculties  comprise  more  than  three 
hundred  men,  with  President  Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler  as 
the  executive  head.  The  university  colleges  of  medicine, 
pharmacy,  dentistry  and  the  law  are  located  in  San  Fran 
cisco,  most  of  them  in  buildings   on   property  given  the 


SAN   FRANCISCO  39 

State  by  the  late  Adolph  Sutro,  of  the  Sutro  tunnel  fame. 
Another  affiliated  college  of  the  University  of  California 
is  the  Mark  Hopkins  Institute  of  Art,  situated  on  Nob 
Hill,  San  Francisco,  in  the  palatial  home  built  by  the  late 
Mark  Hopkins,  one  of  the  original  builders  of  the  first 
overland  railroad.  To  the  location  here  of  this  high-class 
school  of  painting  and  sculpture  the  city  owes  largely  its 
high  rank  for  creative  excellence.  Each  year  this  insti'- 
tute  sends  to  Paris  and  to  Rome  and  to  the  older  art 
centers,  scores  of  earnest  students,  whose  good  work  has 
given  San  Francisco  enviable  fame  in  foreign  ateliers. 

The  University  of  California  (at  Berkeley)  is  by  ij^^^g^.^ 
the  terms  of  its  charter  an  integral  part  of  the  educational  of  caiiiomia. 
system  of  the  State.  The  University's  endowment  is 
capitalized  at  about  eleven  million  dollars;  its  yearly 
income  is  about  five  hundred  thousand  dollars;  it  has 
received  private  benefactions  to  the  amount  of  about 
four  million  dollars.  The  University  is  indebted  to 
Mrs.  Phoebe  A.  Hearst  for  permanent  building  plans, 
upon  a  scale  appropriate  and  comprehensive.  At  Berkeley 
there  are  one  hundred  and  seventy  officers  of  instruc- 
tion distributed  among  thirty-one  departments;  twenty- 
five  hundred  students;  a  library  of  one  hundred  and 
five  thousand  volumes;  an  art  gallery;  museums  and 
laboratories;  also  the  agricultural  experiment  grounds  and 
station  which  are  invaluable  adjuncts  of  the  farming, 
orchard,  and  vineyard  interests  of  the  State.  In  San 
Francisco,  there  are  one  hundred  and  thirty  officers  of 
instruction,  besides  demonstrators  and  other  assistants,  and 
five  hundred  and  seventy  students.  Tuition  in  the 
academic  departments  of  the  University,  during  regular 
sessions,  is  free  to  residents  of  California;  non-residents 
pay  a  fee  of  $10  each  half-year.  Instruction  in  all  the 
colleges  is  open  to  all  qualified  persons,  without  distinction 
of  sex. 

The  founding  a  few  years  ago  of  Stanford  Univer-  uSveraities!^^ 
sity  at  Palo  Alto,  thirty  miles  below  San  Francisco,  gave 
to   the   older   University   of  California   the    stimulus    of 
rivalry,  notably  in  athletic  sports,   and  each  year  the  big 


LUMBER  DOCKS  AT  THE  WESTERN  SECTION  OP     '.'HE   SEAWALL,    SAN   FRANCISCO. 


SAN    FRANCISCO  \y)  41 

football  contest  between  the  men  wearing  the  cardinal  of 
Stanford  and  the  blue  and  gold  colors  of  Berkeley  wakes 
the  city  to  as  much  excitement  as  do  the  gridiron  battles  of 
Harvard,  Yale,  Princeton,  and  Pennsylvania,  in  the  East- 
ern cities.  The  university  at  Palo  Alto  is  a  memorial  to 
the  son  of  the  late  Leland  Stanford  and  of  Mrs.  Jane 
Lathrop  Stanford.  The  bulk  of  the  colossal  Stanford 
fortune,  made  chiefly  in  overland  railroad  building  and 
operating,  has  been  given  to  this  institution,  of  which  Dr. 
David  Starr  Jordan  is  the  president. 

The  endowment  of  Stanford  University  is  greater  ^^'^^^'J'el^ 
than  that  of  anj'  other  two  institutions  of  learning  in  Stanford. 
America — amounting  to  over  $30,000,000.  It  consists 
mainly  of  interest-bearing  securities,  and  a  landed  endow- 
ment of  over  100,000  acres.  The  Vina  estate  in  Tehama 
county  and  the  Gridley  estate  in  Butte  county  are  the 
largest  tracts.  In  the  erection  of  the  university  buildings 
it  has  never  been  necessary  to  touch  the  principal  of  this 
vast  endowment.  The  interest  has  met  all  requirements. 
The  location  of  the  university'  is  ideal.  Over  thirty  thou- 
sand acres  are  included  in  the  university  estate. 

Among  well-known  private   preparatory  schools  are 
St.  Matthew's  Hall  (Episcopal)  at  San  Mateo;  Mt.  Tamal- 
pais  Military  Academy   at  San  Rafael,  conducted  by  the 
Rev.  Arthur  Crosby,  kinsman  of  the  famous  Dr.  Howard 
Crosby,  of  New  York;  Peralta  Hall  and  Boone's  Academy 
of  Berkeley;  Trinity  School  of  San  Francisco,  the  Thacher  Preparatory 
school    at   Nordhoff  and   Price's    school    at   Alta,    Placer  Technical 
county.       The    technical   schools   include  the   Lick,   the    ^  °°  ^ 
Cogswell,   and  the  Wilmerding,  where  manual    training 
methods  are  well  established.     The  city's  public  schools 
are  noted  for  their  efficient  training.     Here  also  is  located 
one  of  several  State  Normal  schools. 

With  libraries  the  city  is  well  supplied,  and  only 
lately  has  been  the  recipient  of  Andrew  Carnegie's  bounty 
for  the  erection  of  a  library  building.  The  free  library 
contains  over  126,000  volumes;  that  of  the  Mechanics' 
Institute  100,000;  Mercandle,  75,000.  Here  also  is  the 
famed  Sutro  library  of  over  200,000  rare  reference  volumes. 


42  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

°"1Iiakin°*  An  example  of  business-like  art,  due  to  the  possibil- 

piotures.  ities  of  Sau  Francisco  and  California,  is  the  painters' 
colony  at  Monterey,  where  for  several  months  each  year 
are  produced  pictures  to  sell  to  Eastern  or  English  con- 
noisseurs. One  m.an,  last  year,  netted  $4,200,  as  the 
result  of  his  art  and  industry,  painting  systematically, 
and  sending  his  work  to  New  York  dealers.  San 
Francisco  artists,  who  have  won  more  than  local  fame, 
include  Tom  Hill,  William  Keith,  PVed  Yates,  Theo. 
Wores,  Charles  Rollo  Peters,  A.  F.  Mathews,  Francis 
McComas,  R.  Martinez,  Miss  Kuhne  Beveridge,  Ernest  C. 
Peixotto,  H.  J.  Breuer,  L.  P.  Latimer,  Jules  Pages,  Jules 
Tavernier,  A.  Joullin  and  Charles  Dickman.  In  litera- 
ture, the  roll  of  those  who  have  gone  out  into  the  world  of 
letters  from  this  community  is  a  long  one.  Joaquin 
Miller,  Bret  Harte,  Noah  Brooks,  Gertrude  Atherton, 
F'rank  Norris,  Ambrose  Bierce,  E.  W.  Townsend,  Gelett 
Burgess,  Booth  Tarkington,  Bailey  Millard,  W.  C.  Mor- 
row, Louis  Robertson,  Edward  Rowland  Sill,  Flora  Haines 
Longhead,  Charles  Keeler,  Juliet  Wilbor  Tompkins,  S.  E. 
Moffett,  Edwin  Markham,  Grace  Ellery  Channing,  Jack 
London,  Chester  Fernald,  H.  J.  W.  Dam,  Clay  Greene, 
George  H.  Broadhurst — these  are  a  few  examples, 
anufaotures  pQr  the  year  ending  30th  June,  1901,  the  chief  manu- 

commerce.  facturcs  of  Sau  Fraucisco  with  the  value  of  the  product, 
were  as  follows: — Bookbinderies  $800,000,  breweries  $4,- 
000,000,  coffee  and  chocolate  $2,200,000,  confectionery 
$700,000,  cigars  $2,000,000,  crackers  $1,750,000,  chemicals 
$1,500,000,  clothing  $1,500,000,  electrical  $3,750,000  flour 
$3,000,000,  fruit-canning  $3,700,000,  gas  $4,500,000,  glass 
$1,300,000,  millinery  $810,000,  provisions  $3,500,000, 
shirts  $1,700,000,  ships  $3,000,000,  shoes  $2,300,000, 
sugar  $14,211,516,  tanneries  $1,310,000,  tinware  $1,750,- 
000,  wire  $1,500,000,  wool-scouring  $2,000,000. 

The  city's  official  police  department  numbers  (Jan- 
uary 23,  1903)  673  men.  The  Fire  Department,  under 
Chief  Denis  Sullivan,  numbers  584  "  men  and  no  fire 
fighting  department  of  any  city  ranks  higher  than  does 
this  one. 


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SAN    FRANCISCO  45 

The  citv  is  connected  with  the  eastern  States  by  three  Transconti- 

•^  ^  .   -^  nental 

through  overland  railways,  the  Central  Pacific,  the  Railways. 
Southern  Pacific  (which  controls  the  Central  Pacific)  and 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  and  Santa  Fe  routes.  Besides  these, 
the  cit}'-  has  trafiic  connections  with  the  Canadian  Pacific, 
Northern  Pacific,  and  Great  Northern  and  other  trans- 
continental roads.  Lines  of  the  Southern  Pacific  and 
Santa  Fe  and  their  branches  connect  the  whole  State  with 
the  city,  besides  the  smaller  lines  of  the  California  North- 
western, North  Shore,  Sierra  Railway,  and  other  roads  that 
penetrate  the  agricultural,  mining  and  lumbering  districts. 
The  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Company  has  a  large 
fleet  of  steamers  pl3nng  between  San  Francisco  and  Cali- 
fornian,  Mexican,  Puget  Sound  and  Alaskan  ports,  while 
the  trans-Pacific  liners  of  the  Pacific  Mail,  Occidental  and 
Oriental,  Toyo  Kisen  Kaisha,  Kosmos,  Oceanic,  and  other 
companies  link  San  Francisco  to  Central  America,  to  the 
Orient,  Australia,  and  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  There 
is  considerable  river  and  bay  transportation,  uniting  the 
city  with  Sacramento,  Stockton,  and  other  points  on  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers. 

The  assessed  valuation  of  real  and  personal  property 
in  1902  was  $420,355,541.  Property  is  assessed  at  60  to 
80  per  cent  of  its  values.  The  city's  tax  rate  is  $1.2262  on 
the  hundred  dollars.  The  city's  net  debt  (funded  and  float- 
ing, less  sinking  fund)  is  (June  30,  1902)  only  $17,185.77. 

After  many  years  of  notorious  "boss"  rule  the  city  in  Qo^^nmen? 
1896  elected  a  reform  maj-or.  This  was  the  most  import- 
ant movement  for  good  government  in  the  history  of  the 
city  since  the  Vigilance  Committee  of  1856.  It  was 
followed  by  the  adoption  (1899)  of  a  new  charter,  formed 
by  a  board  of  Freeholders,  and  based  upon  the  most 
approved  models  of  modern  municipal  government.  The 
city's  control  is  centralized,  giving  more  power  to  the 
mayor,  who  has  the  appointment  and  removal  of  the  follow- 
ing commissions  :  fire,  police,  school,  election,  park,  civil 
service,  health,  and  public  works.  The  principle  of  the 
"initiative  and  referendum"  was  incorporated  in  the 
charter,  by  which  a  percentage  of  the  voters  can  compel 


VVHERI-:   UNCLK   SAM'S    WAR   SHIPS   ARE   BUILT. 


SAN    FRANCISCO  47 

the  submission  of  measures  for  public  approval.  There 
are  twelve  departments  of  the  Superior  Court,  five  Justices 
Courts,  and  four  Police  Courts.  The  Board  of  Supervisors 
has  eighteen  members.  The  Board  of  Education  has  four 
members.  The  Board  of  Public  Works  controls  the  streets, 
sewers  and  public  improvements  of  the  city,  and  is  com- 
posed of  engineers  of  recognized  standing.  The  water 
supply  is  excellent,  being  furnished  by  a  private  corpora- 
tion, the  vSpring  Valley  Water  Company. 

The  development  of  crude  petroleum  has  brought  to  ch^ap^^ei 
San  Francisco  cheap  fuel  and  power  for  the  development  Manufactures. 
of  manufactures,  thus  giving  all  lines  of  manufactures  a 
tremendous  stimulus  until  to-day,  throughout  the  city  and 
suburbs,  as  well  as  throughout  the  State,  are  growing  up 
many  prosperous  manufacturing  industries.  In  1901, 
California  produced  7,710,315  barrels  of  crude  petroleum, 
and  in  19U2  13,693,514  barrels,  producing  it  at  a  price 
equivalent  to  coal,  at  three  and  four  dollars  a  ton,  and 
those  who  know  say  that  this  supply  can  readily  be 
doubled. 

Expert  electricians  tell  of  the  tremendous  power 
possible  through  the  transmission  of  electric  energy  caught 
from  the  rivers  and  water-falls  of  the  Coast  Range  and  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada.  Already  power  of  this  class  is  being 
utilized  in  cities  about  San  Francisco,  and  other  projects 
are  under  way. 

The  street  railway  system  of  the  city  is  the  cause  of  ^^^^°^ 
continued  pride  to  residents,  and  constant  favorable  com-  Railway 
ment  from  visitors.  Up  and  down  the  steep  hills  of  the 
city  electric  and  cable  cars  are  kept  moving.  The  United 
Railroads  street  car  system  of  San  Francisco  represents 
the  investment  of  eastern  capital.  It  was  built  by  Califor- 
nians,  but  during  the  summer  of  1902  was  transferred  to 
an  eastern  syndicate,  the  check  of  $17,599,675.15  being 
the  largest  check  ever  passed  through  the  San  Francisco 
clearing  house.  Under  wise  management  a  system  of 
long  rides  for  one  five-cent  fare  is  effectually  carried  out, 
bringing  not  only  that  vast  pleasure  ground,  Golden  Gate 
Park,  to   the  doors    of  all    residents,   but  enabling  those 


AT   THE   CENTER   OF   THE   CITY'S   LIFE — THE   INTERSECTION    OF    THIRD,    KEARNY 
AND   MARKET    STREETS,    SAN   FRANCISCO. 


SAN   FRANCISCO  49 

whose  homes  are  on  crowded  down-town  streets  to  quickly 
reach  the  ocean  shore  or  to  enjoy  the  view  and  invigorating 
breezes  from  the  bluffs  of  Presidio  Reservation. 

Golden  Gate  Park — here  is  a  pleasure  reserve  worth  a  ^ 

.        .  .  Magnificent 

whole  chapter  of  description.  It  comprises  1013  acres  Park, 
and  is  valued  at  over  fifteen  millions  of  dollars.  It  is  a 
wonderful  pleasure  ground  of  flowers  and  trees,  lawns  and 
various  opportunities  for  recreation  of  all  sorts.  Once, 
naught  but  sandhills  were  here,  and  the  marvelous  beauty 
of  the  park  is  a  demonstration  of  the  possibilities  of  water 
and  sand  when  directed  by  artistic  controlling  minds. 

For  more  detailed  description  of  San  Francisco  and  its 
picturesque  surroundings,  reference  is  made  to  a  book  pub- 
lished by  the  California  Promotion  Committee  entitled 
"San  Francisco  and  Thereabout"  by  Charles  Keeler. 


CHAPTER      III. 

THE  SACRAMENTO  VALLEY.  An  InlandjEmpire— ;One  of  the^Great  Fertile 
Valleys  of  the  World,  with  Room  for  Millions  —  Placer  Gold  Soil  that 
Produces  Oranges  —  Abundance  of  Water^  for j  Irrigation  [and  an  Ample 
Rainfall  —  Vast  Tracts  of  Alluvial  Soil  —  The^Luxury  of  Climate  —  Olives, 
Oranges,  "Wheat,  and  Stock  Raising  —  Chances 'for  {Men  of  Thrift  with 
Little  Money  —  Entire  Families  of  Fruit^Pickers  —  Counties  Embraced  in 
the  Valley  and  its  Water-shed  — The  Capital  of  the  State,  a  Beautiful  City— 
Sagacity  of  General  Bidwell,  Pioneer  of  Early  Days — Fig  Trees  and  Orange 
Trees  Planted  by  the  Argonauts  of  '49  —  Sutter's  Fort  and  "What  it  Stands 
For  —  Vast  Tracts  being  Subdivided  —  Opportunities  for  Small  Families  — 
Water-ways  and  Railroads  Carrying  Products  to  Market  —  Renewed  Gold 
Mining  Activity  —  Mineral  Springs  —  Schools,  Churches,  and  Cultured 
Communities  —  Electrical  Power  in  the  Streams  that  Flow  from  the  Sierra. 


If  you  will  delve  beneath  the  sod, 
Rich  gifts  you'll  find,  stored  up  by  God, 
In  mountain  cellars,  hid  from  view. 
When  Time  was  young*  and  earth  was  new. 
And  floTving  fortunes  in  our  soil 
Are  fountains,  geysers,  wells  of  oil. 
Our  myriad  miles  of  golden  grain 
Ripple  and  wave  like  ocean'' s  main. 
And  joyous  here  the  bird  that  flies 
^ Neath  ever-blue  Italian  skies. 

— Carrie  B.  Rice. 


PROBABlvY  the  most  wonderful  monument  in  the 
world  is  the  big  orange  tree  at  Bidwell's  Bar  in 
Butte  County.  It  is  sacred  to  the  memory  of  a  New 
England  miner  unknown  and  long  since  passed  from 
earth.  In  the  spring  of  1857  he  dropped  there  the  seed 
from  which  grew  this  thrifty  orange  tree.  The  tree  told 
a  story  and  a  sermon — and  it  is  not  through  telling  and 
preaching  yet.  In  its  thrifty  growth,  its  shining  leaves, 
its  cleanly  well  -  developed  fruit,  it  told  and  it  tells 
of  the  possibilities  of  orange  culture  here  on  the  slopes  of 
the  Sierra  Nevada  within  400  miles  of  the  northern 
boundar^^  of  the  States  and  a  little  over  100  miles  north 
from  San  Francisco.     Men  were  a  long  time  learning  that 


52  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

Sunshine,  this  ttcc  meant  a  semi-tropic  climate,  fig  trees,  and  olive 

Warm  Air  and  .  ^  j       o  ■> 

Fertile  Soil,  trccs  and  waving  palms.  More  orange  trees  have  been 
growing  since  that  tree  at  Bidwell's  Bar  was  planted,  but 
only  in  the  past  few  years  have  people  generally  learned 
that  the  gold-bearing  soil  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  slopes,  and 
the  eastern  slope  of  the  Coast  Range,  of  the  rich  fertile 
valleys  of  the  Sacramento  and  the  San  Joaquin  were  capable 
of  producing  as  many  carloads  of  semi-tropic  fruits  as  the 
transportation  companies  can  haul  to  market. 

But  the  culture  of  oranges,  fascinating  as  it  is  and 
meaning  as  it  does  the  combination  of  winter  sunshine, 
warm  air  and  fertile  soil,  is  only  one  feature  of  the  long- 
latent  possibilities  of  the  great  interior  valley  of  California. 
It  is  with  the  upper  section  of  this  great  region — the  Sac- 
ramento Valley — that  this  chapter  has  to  deal. 
The  Great  This  vallcy  of  the    Sacramento    of  California    is    an 

Sacramento  ^  ^  -^ 

Valley,  empire  with  many  principalities.  Such  a  region  in  the 
Old  World  or  in  the  New  England  and  Middle  States 
would  have  been  long  before  this  as  populous  as  the 
valleys  of  the  Loire,  or  the  Housatonic,  or  Susquehanna 
The  area  of  the  valley  proper  is  estimated  at  something 
over  6,000  square  miles  with  bordering  foothill  and 
and  mountain  region  of  nearly  as  much  more.  The  coun- 
ties directly  tributary  to  this  great  northern  valley,  some 
of  them  mountainous,  some  of  them  foothills,  all  of  them 
valley  and  mountain,  except  Sutter,  which  is  entirely  in 
the  valley,  are,  starting  from  the  north;  Siskiyou,  Shasta, 
Tehama,  Glenn,  Butte,  Colusa,  Sutter,  Yuba,  Yolo,  Sacra- 
mento, El  Dorado,  Placer,  Nevada  and  Solano.  •  The  total 
exact  area  of  these  counties  according  to  Surveyor-Gen- 
eral's reports  is  17,908,960  acres  and  is  nearly  equal  to 
that  of  the  State  of  Maine. 

Figures  and  comparisons  like  these  indicate  the  size 
of  this  attractive  region,  but  more  than  figures  that 
tell  where  there  is  room  enough  to  grow  are  desired  by 
the  serious  man  who  is  looking  for  a  home,  and  he  may 
be  assured  at  the  outset  that  this  vast  valley  country  of 
the  West  possesses  countless  alluring  advantages  that 
should  woo  him  westward  to  seek  and  find. 


o 
w 

w 

H-l  ^ 
^> 
HE 

W  "I] 
Ho 

CD  2 

?!• 

dO 

^^ 


54  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

in  the  Path-  j^^  ^^^  £^gj.  pj^^^e  it's  California,  and  California  means 

way  of  the  ^  > 

Nations,  progrcss,  development,  the  movement  westward  being  in 
the  world's  view,  in  the  pathway  of  the  nations.  Here  is 
growth,  here  farms  are  becoming  villages,  villages  becom- 
ing towns,  towns  becoming  cities.  Here  is  a  healthful 
clime  and  a  fertile  well-watered  soil.  Through  the  center 
of  the  valley  flows  the  Sacramento  river,  its  headwaters 
near  the  base  of  Mt.  Shasta,  a  snow-capped  peak  of  Siski- 
you county  14,440  feet  high.  The  river  flows  southerly 
joining  the  San  Joaquin,  which  flows  through  the  great 
interior  valley  northerly,  emptying  into  the  Pacific  at  the 
Golden  Gate.  A  number  of  tributaries  running  through 
smaller  valleys,  flowing  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  offer  fer- 
tility as  well  as  opportunities  for  power  development. 
Among  these  are  the  McCloud,  the  Pitt,  Yuba,  Feather 
and  the  American,  besides  countless  creeks.  An  inex- 
haustible supply  of  water  pours  through  these  river 
channels,  diverted  at  many  points  all  along  the  way  for 
irrigation,  and  at  several  points,  notably  at  Folsom  and 
Colgate,  being  harnessed  for  the  development  of  electrical 
power. 

The  rainfall  in  this  region  is  abundant,  as  will  be  seen 
by  reference  to  meteorological  tables  of  the  United  States 
Weather  Bureau  elsewhere  in  this  volume. 

^likls^in""-  ^^^  right  here,  speaking  of  rainfall,  it  is  well  to  com- 

ti™e.  bat  the  idea  of  the  New  England  men  that  rainy  season 
means  a  perpetual  drizzle  from  the  first  of  November  to 
the  first  of  May.  The  rainy  season  of  California  is  com- 
parable to  the  springtime  of  New  England.  There  are 
storms  and  a  steady  downpour  of  welcome  rain,  lasting 
sometimes  three  or  four  days,  but  the  usual  storm  of 
California's  winter  rarely  lasts  longer  than  twenty-four 
hours;  usually  ten  or  twelve  hours  and  often  occurs  at 
night.  After  a  steady  downpour  the  sun  rises  bright  and 
warm,  the  air  is  pure  and  clear,  wild  flowers  start  into  being, 
before  Christmas,  new  grass  clothes  the  hillsides  and  the 
man  in  the  country  who  looks  abroad  on  mornings  like 
these  feels  glad  that  he  is  alive  and  glad  that  he  is  here,  far 
from  snow-storms  and  blizzards,  alert  and  vigorous  under 


THE   SACRAMENTO  VALLEY  55 

the  smiling  sun.  In  the  great  interior  basin  of  California, 
the  rainfall  is  heaviest  on  the  west  slope  of  the  Sierras  and 
increases  steadily  from  south  to  north.  The  average  rain- 
fall of  the  Sacramento  valley  is  about  seventeen  inches. 
Along  the  edge  of  the  Sierra  foothills  it  is  about  twenty-five 
inches,  running  to  nearly  thirty  inches  on  the  north,  as 
will  be  seen  by  reference  to  tables  given  elsewhere.  In 
the  mountains  at  an  altitude  of  two  thousand  feet  and 
upward  the  rainfall  amounts  to  from  50  to  60  inches 
annually.  These  figures  are  significant;  they  mean  that 
the  rainfall  of  the  Sacramento  watershed  is  sufficient  to 
irrigate  every  acre  of  arable  land  in  foothill  and  valley. 
They  mean  that  the  great  level  valley  of  the  Sacramento, 
now  sparsely  settled  and  devoted  to  immense  wheat  farms, 
and  the  foothill  lands,  still  covered  with  native  growth,  are 
destined    to  become  the  home  of  a  vast  population. 

It  may  be  that  facts  about  climate  seem  a  trifle  over-  p^openy^"^' 
worked.  The  tables  of  temperature  given  elsewhere  tell 
their  own  story.  In  this  Sacramento  valley  as  well  as  in 
most  of  California  except  in  the  mountain  counties,  there 
is  no  winter  that  can  be  properly  so  called  in  the  under- 
standing of  people  who  live  where  the  year  has  four  seasons. 
Plowing  in  November,  training  roses  on  the  side  of  the 
house  on  Thanksgiving  Day  ;  hyacinths,  narcissus,  helio- 
trope, and  other  plants  of  rare  perfume,  blossoming  in 
open  air ;  humming  birds  flitting  in  the  honey-suckle, 
picking  oranges  November  1st,  harvesting  olives  in  Janu- 
ary, almond  trees  showing  their  pink  blossoms  of  rare 
beauty  in  February— these  are  some  calendar  wonders.  And 
again,  let  it  not  be  forgotten  that  California  temperature  is 
not  a  matter  of  latitude  as  elsewhere,  but  rather  of  eleva- 
tion. Going  north  does  not  mean  going  to  a  colder  cli- 
mate— the  nieatt  annual  temperatures  of  Redding,  Shasta 
County,  and  Redlands,  San  Bernardino  County,  are  nearly 
the  same,  yet  Redding  is  nearly  800  miles  north  of 
Redlands,  and  this  annual  mean  averages  between  sixty- 
two  and  sixty-six  degrees  ;  highest  temperature  in  both, 
107°,  lowest  temperature  known  in  both,  25°. 


So-called. 


56  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

General  N.  P.  Chipman,  Supreme  Court  Commissioner 
of  California,  long  a  resident  of  the  Sacramento  Valley 
and  a  practical  horticulturist  and  profound  student,  and 
acknowledged  authority,  says  in  a  recent  paper  on  the 
resources  of  California : 
^^open^Air  "^^  California  our  climate  makes  it  possible  to  profit- 

Gardens.  ably  usc  cvcry  day  in  the  year.  We  have  no  month  when 
vegetation  in  some  form  is  not  growing.  Our  wonderful 
diversity  of  products  gives  constant  employment  in  the 
field,  garden  and  orchard,  and  in  all  lines  of  manufactures, 
the  weather  is  always  propitious.  You  may  not  believe 
it,  but  I  can  take  you  to  a  property  one  hundred  miles 
north  of  Sacramento,  where  you  will  find  growing  in  the 
open,  in  one  large  orchard  of  3000  acres, — apples,  pears, 
cherries,  prunes,  plums,  figs,  oranges,  lemons,  almonds, 
raisins,  apricots,  olives,  guavas,  loquats,  persimmons, — 
in  short,  every  fruit  to  be  found  growing  in  Russia, 
France,  Egypt,  Greece,  Spain,  and  in  the  entire  Medi- 
terranean basin.  I  doubt  if  a  like  expression  of  climatic 
possibilities  can  be  found  elsewhere  on  the  globe. 

*'One  other  fact,  and  we  may  leave  the  matter  of 
climate.  California  is  a  universal  sanitarium.  In  the 
mountains  and  in  the  valleys  everywhere,  barring  of  course 
Tte  Climate  here  and  there  local  influences  to  the  contrary,  the  climatic 
Health'!  conditions  promote  improved  health  to  all  who  come. 
Special  conditions,  more  favorable,  appear  in  different 
places,  but  generally  all  latitudes  and  all  regions  invigor- 
ate and  build  up  the  physical  functions.  Our  great  val- 
leys lie  parallel  to  our  mountain  ranges  and  the  ocean, 
and  residents  find  quick  and  easy  change  from  one  to  the 
other  ;  the  people  of  the  interior  go  to  the  coast  or  the 
mountains  for  a  change,  and  the  coast  people  go  to  the 
interior  and  mountains.  A  few  hours  bring  this  most 
delightful  change." 

But  the  fair  conditions  of  the  valley  winter  season  do 
not  mean  excessive  heat  in  mid-summer.  True,  the  mer- 
cury does  mount  steadily  upward,  not  infrequently  leaving 
the  one  hundred  mark  behind,  but  the  absence  of  humidity 
makes  105°  in  the  heart  of  the  Sacramento  valley  not  so 


A  SEMI-TROPIC  SCENE  AT  OROVILLiE. 


58  CALIFORNIA  TO-DAY 

oppressive  by  any  means  as  80°  at  Chicago.  Sunstroke  is 
unknown  and  out-door  workers  never  miss  a  day's  labor 
because  of  excessive  sunshine. 

iTthe  valleys^  Siuce   vallcys   are    the  natural  homes    of  men,    the 

pioneers  of  California — those  hardy  men  who  moved  west- 
ward until  stopped  by  the  Pacific  in  those  early  days  of 
history  making,  when  Spanish  governors  ruled  Alta 
California — established  their  haciendas  amid  the  wide- 
spreading  oaks  that  dot  these  valley  plains.  After  them 
came  the  Argonauts,  those  American  prototypes  of  Ulysses, 
lured  over  the  plains  and  over  the  mountains  by  the  cry 
of  gold.  In  the  valley  became  established  stores  and 
trading  points  for  the  mines  of  the  Sierra  and  later  culti- 
vation of  the  fields,  and  the  planting  of  fruit  trees  resulted. 
Of  early  conditions  General  Will  S.  Green  of  Colusa, 
writes: 

iftho  wohZ  "Half  a  lifetime  of  familiarity  with  this  region  has 

only  deepened  the  conviction,  early  formed,  that  it  is  the 
first  country  in  the  world.  The  earliest  pioneers  nearly 
all  located  around  San  Francisco  bay  or  in  the  Sacramento 
valley.  They  had  their  choice  of  all  California  and  they 
naturally  took  the  best.  Sutter's  Fort,  central  to  one  of 
the  earliest  and  largest  grants  of  land  made  in  this  terri- 
tory by  Mexico,  stands  to-day  within  the  corporate  limits 
of  the  city  of  Sacramento,  the  capital  of  the  State,  and 
the  richness  of  the  surrounding  country  attests  the  wisdom 
of  the  locator. 

"The  city  of  Chico,  ninety  miles  further  north,  is  on 
land  originally  granted  by  Mexico  to  Gen.  John  Bidwell, 
and  all  who  visit  that  locality  are  impressed  by  the  rich- 
ness and  park-like  beauty  of  the  country. 

"Those  earliest  of  the  civilized  settlers  saw  at  a 
glance  where  the  soil  was  richest,  where  timber  was  most 
plentiful  and  where  water  was  most  abundant,  and  there 
they  planted  their  homes.  They  knew  by  observations  in 
the  countries  they  came  from  that  where  game  did  most 
abound,  there  Nature  was  most  provident  in  her  gifts,  and 
the  Sacramento  valley  was  the  game  region  par  excellence 
in  the  early  days  of  California. 


THE   SACRAMENTO   VALLEY  .  59 

"Bands  of  antelope  numbered  by  the  thousands,  elk  gj^go, 
in  great  number  could  be  seen  at  any  time  grazing  on  the  Grazing 
rich  forage  of  the  valley.     In  1851,  a  wood-chopper  fur- 
nished the  hotel-keeper  in   Colusa  with  an  antelope  each 
day  for  his  board. 

"When  Governor  Stanford,  with  ample  means  to 
secure  his  choice  of  land  anywhere  in  the  State,  contem- 
plated his  stupendous  vineyard  enterprise,  he  sought  a 
location  in  the  Sacramento  valley,  and  at  Vina,  one  hun- 
dred and  ten  miles  north  of  Sacramento,  he  planted,  and 
is  growing  there  to-day,  the  largest  vineyard  in  the  world. 

• 'The  great  Glenn  ranch,  as  rich  a  body  of  land  as  the 
sun  shines  on,  and  on  which  it  was  the  proprietor's 
ambition  to  raise  in  one  season  a  million  bushels  of  wheat, 
lies  well  north  in  this  valley.  The  princely  possessions, 
of  the  late  Senator  Boggs,  and  others  of  the  most  noted 
agricultural  holdings  in  the  State,  are  within  the  confines 
of  the  Sacramento  valley." 

But  attractive  and  profitable  as  are  the  varied  rural  '^^^^^ 

.  ...      Occupations, 

industries  of  this  section,  orange  growing,  olive  oil  not  Rural, 
making,  and  ripe  olive  pickling,  grain  producing,  (for  the 
valley  is  one  of  the  vast  granaries  of  the  world  with  vast 
shipments  through  the  Golden  Gate  to  feed  the  Eastern 
States  and  Europe),  there  are  other  opportunities,  notably 
in  manufacturing  and  in  mining,  as  well  as  the  minor 
occupations  that  go  to  make  up  the  life  of  towns  and 
cities.  The  Sacramento  river  is  navigable  the  greater  part 
of  its  length.  The  railroad  lines  of  the  Southern  Pacific 
Company  run  the  full  length  of  the  valley,  extending  on  to 
Oregon,  and  south  through  to  San  Francisco  and  though 
the  San  Joaquin  valley,  with  many  branches  on  all  sides. 
Thus,  the  valley  possesses  transportation  outlets  by  both 
water  and  rail. 

The  principal  city  of  the  valley  is  Sacramento,  the  cap- 
ital of  California,  a  modern  city  and  well-built  and  fast- 
growing,  with  broad  streets,  electric  cars,  business  blocks 
of  granite  and  brick  and  many  modern  structures  built,  or 
in  process  of  construction.    The  State  capitol  is  one  of  the 


THE    SACRAMENTO   VALLEY  61 

most  imposing  buildings  in  the  West,  with  one  of  the  finest  Flourishing 
capitol  park  in  the  country,  and  around  the  city  gather  cuies. 
the  life  incidental  to  the  capital  of  a  great  State.  The 
principal  other  cities  are  Marysville,  Oroville,  Chico,  Red 
Bluff,  Redding,  Willows,  Colusa,  Woodland,  Vacaville, 
Winters,  Auburn,  Grass  Valley  and  Nevada  City,  all  well 
ordered  places  of  thrift  and  progress.  Throughout  the 
valley  everywhere  are  schools  and  churches  and  all  that 
goes  to  make  civilization  and  refinement.  An  old  resident 
recently  said: 

"The  Sacramento  valley  is  a  land  in  which  are  found 
the  opportunities  of  the  frontier  together  with  the  advan- 
tages of  civilization  and  is  essentially  the  place  for  the 
making  of  a  home;  no  cold  winters  and  no  thunder  storms; 
mountains  close  by  and  sea  not  far  away;  chances  for 
outings  in  the  pine  forests  or  in  the  ocean  surf,  while  can- 
yons and  woodland  stretches  and  fast  flowing  streams 
make  sportsmen  happy." 

The  mountains,  both  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  and  of  the  ^^^^^f 

>  Output  of 

Coast  Range,  are  rich  in  minerals,  and  although  mining  is  vaiiey 

-.  f      1  1  .       1  •  1  r^  /  i  .     •  Countiea. 

the  second  oldest  industry  m  the  btate  (cattle  raising 
being  considered  the  first),  the  mineral  lands  of  the  State 
according  to  the  best  authorities  have  only  as  yet,  figur- 
atively speaking,  received  surface  scratching.  The  last 
statement  of  the  mineral  output  of  the  State  credits  the 
counties  of  the  Sacramento  valley  with  a  product  valua- 
tion of  $16,031,601  out  of  $31,394,879  for  the  entire  State. 
Elsewhere  tables  of  the  State  Mining  Bureau  and  of  the 
highest  expert  authorities  show  the  mineral  product  valu- 
ation of  various  counties  of  the  valley.  All  through 
Placer  and  Nevada,  El  Dorado,  Yuba,  Butte,  Shasta  and 
Tehama,  are  gold  mines  that  are  being  worked  profitably, 
employing  most  modern  mechanism.  Gold  mining  is 
a  leading  industry  in  every  county  lying  wholly 
or  in  part  in  the  Sierras.  While  the  easy  surface 
diggings  have  for  the  most  part  been  exhausted,  new 
processes  and  cheaper  power  have  given  new  impetus  to 
the  industry  which  promises  to  extend  steadily  and  con- 
tinuously. 


62  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

Resoufcelo'f  Within  the  past  four  years,  dredger  mining  has  been 

Mountain  introduced  and  gold  dredges  are  working  in  many  places. 
In  the  dredger  field  at  Oroville,  where  the  first  successful 
machine  was  launched,  twenty  dredges,  representing  an 
outlay  of  more  than  $1,000,000  in  machinery  alone,  are 
delving  deep  into  the  earth  and  reaping  a  golden  harvest. 

The  power  resources  of  the  mountain  streams  is  an- 
other factor  in  progess.  Bordering  this  valley  are  power 
plants  that  are  attracting  attention  of  the  mechanics 
and  electrical  engineers  of  the  world.  Electrical  trans- 
mission has  been  developed  here  to  its  greatest  efficiency. 
The  power  of  mountain  streams  is  already  driving  the 
machinery  of  farms,  mines,  orchards  and  of  factories 
located  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  one  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  away.  What  is  now  being  done  is  but  the 
beginning  of  the  area  of  power  transmission.  The  electric 
current  brings  to  the  door  of  the  factory  the  power  of  the 
waterfall  of  the  mountain  canyon  and  delivers  it  at  a  cost 
which  renders  fuel  plants  out  of  the  question.  At  present 
the  supply  of  developed  power  is  wholly  inadequate  to 
supply  the  demand,  but  new  plants  are  building  and 
will  continue  to  be  built.  The  waterfalls  are  among  the 
most  valuable  assets  of  this  section  and  give  promise  of  a 
prosperity  in  all  lines  of  activity  where  the  question  of  cost 
of  power  is  a  factor. 

Long  The  Bay  Counties  Power  Company,  which  transmits 

Transmission  power  to  Sacrameuto  and  Oakland,  has  a  plant  at  Colgate, 
Plants.  ^^p^(,j[^y  25,000  horse  power.  Another  is  on  Butte  Creek, 
near  Chico,  with  a  capacity  of  12, COO  horse  power,  and 
near  the  same  point  a  new  plant  is  under  way  where  20,000 
horse  power  will  be  generated.  The  same  company  con- 
trols the  Fall  River  falls,  twenty-five  miles  east  of  Oroville, 
which  has  a  capacity  of  about  5,000  horse  power.  On 
French  Creek,  fifteen  miles  from  Oroville,  they  have  made 
surveys  and  begun  preliminary  work  on  a  plant,  the 
estimated  capacity  of  which  is  25,000  horse  power.  An- 
other lately  formed  has  secured  rights  on  the  upper  North 
Fork  of  Feather  River  and  proposes  to  build  a  plant  of 
300,000  horse  power.     The  same  company,  it  is  reported, 


Navy  Yard 


64  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

recently  secured  control  of  the  Big  Bend  tunnel,  fifteen 
miles  above  Oroville  on  the  North  Fork,  where  25,000  horse 
power  may  be  developed  at  comparatively  small  cost, 
ishmd  -^^  Solano  county  is  Vallejo,  the  navy  yard  town.  Near 
it  is  Mare  Island,  a  large  reservation  owned  by  the  gov- 
ernment located  in  the  northern  end  of  San  Pablo  Bay,  a 
tributary  of  San  Francisco  Bay.  On  this  island  are  located 
the  shops,  docks,  barracks,  and  of&cers'  residences  of  the 
naval  rendezvous  of  the  Pacific  fleet.  Here  war  ships  are 
constructed  and  repaired  and  the  location  here  of  these 
shops  gives  employment  to  many  thousand  men. 

Timber  Upou  the  slopcs  of  the   Sierra  are  vast  tracts  of  pine 

Lands  and      .      ,  _  .       .  ,     ,  ^  .  , 

Lumbering  timber  of  many  varieties  and  large  fortunes  are  invested 
Industries. . ^^  the  lumbering  industry.  Among  the  recent  interesting 
developments  of  the  present  is  the  acquisition  of  vast 
tracts  of  timber  land  in  the  mountains  by  corporations 
which  propose  soon  to  begin  the  manufacture  of  wood 
products  on  a  larger  scale  than  heretofore  known  in  this 
region.  For  example,  the  Diamond  Match  Company,  one 
of  the  largest  corporations  dealing  in  lumber  and  its 
products,  has  recently  purchased  60,000  acres  of  timber 
land  in  Butte,  Plumas  and  Tehama  counties.  Its  agents 
have  been  making  surveys  for  railroad,  and  it  is  common 
belief  that  soon  they  will  begin  work  on  a  gigantic  scale. 
The  signs  of  the  times  point  to  unprecedented  growth  in 
the  industries  growing  out  of  timber  resources. 
Tbe  Despite   all   other  attractions  of  California,   mining, 

Out-of-door    ,  ,.  -,,.  ,  ...,.--, 

Life  that  lumbering,  and  the  things  that  attract  m  city  iiie  tor  the 
Appeals.  ^^Q^g^^Q^  man,  the  possibility  of  profit  and  health  in  an 
out-of-door  life,  in  fruit  growing  of  some  sort,  is  the  thing 
that  must  appeal.  For  life  in  the  sunshine  means  health, 
and  without  health  the  human  being  is  a  nuisance.  It  is 
a  difficult  task  to  picture  in  words  the  vast  orchards  now 
growing  throughout  the  valley  and  yielding  annual  delec- 
tation for  the  markets  of  California,  the  Orient,  and  the 
Eastern  States;  orchards  of  prunes,  apricots,  apples,  pears, 
figs,  almonds,  peaches  and  olives ;  groves  of  oranges, 
lemons  and  grape-fruit;  countless  acres  of  small  fruits  of 


THE   SACRAMENTO   VALLEY  65 

rare  excellence  and  more  acres  equally  countless  of 
vegetables  of  all  sorts.  The  counties  of  the  Sacramento 
valley  yield  annually  over  one-half  of  all  the  fresh 
deciduous  fruit  produced  in  California  and  over  one  third 
of  the  entire  output,  green,  canned,  or  dried.  The  fruit 
growers  are  wide-awake  and  progressive,  following  modern 
methods  in  training  and  cultivating.  Every  county  in 
the  valley  has  thousands  of  acres  of  orchard,  including 
almost  every  fruit  grown.  Trainloads  of  dry  fruits  are 
shipped  from  almost  every  station  in  the  orchard  regions. 
Immense  canneries  in  various  parts  of  the  valley  employ 
thousands  of  people  during  the  canning  season  and  pack 
thousands  of  tons  of  luscious  fruit  for  the  best  trade.  In 
the  deciduous  fruit  business,  too,  the  demand  for  the  pro- 
duct has  kept  pace  with  the  increased  production,  and 
there  is  no  reason  to  doubt  that  such  will  long  continue. 

The  amount  of  land  suitable  for  growing  oranges  in  future  of 
these  valleys  is  practically  unlimited,  and  results  thus  far  Growing  in 
warrant  the  prediction  that  within  ten  years  the  output  Northern" 
of  the   counties  included  in  the  San  Joaquin  and  Sacra-  cJaiifomia. 
mento  valleys  will  exceed  twenty  thousand  carloads  an- 
nually.    As  elsewhere  noted,  the  future  holds  great  things 
for  the  orange  growing  industry  of  the  central  and  north- 
ern California  counties,  all  for  the  reason  that  fruit  ripens 
and  is  ready  to  go  to  the  Eastern  market  by  Thanksgiving 
Day.     In  1893  four  carloads  were  sent  East,  while  last 
year  more   than    2000   carloads    left    the  State  from  this 
section.      Elsewhere    tables    of    shipments    indicate   the 
growth  of  this  industry.     In  1901,  more  than  half  of  the 
Oroville  crop  was  shipped  before  Thanksgiving,  and  prac- 
tically the  whole  was  off  before  Christmas. 

Orange  culture  is  ever  alluring,  yielding  returns  that  Profits  of 
are  almost  beyond  belief.     The  first  orchard  planted  for  o^Ige^ 
commercial  purposes,  by  the  Oroville  Citrus  Association,  ^''o''®"- 
has  proven  a  veritable  bonanza.      It  was  planted  for  the 
purpose  of  determining   whether   or   not   oranges    could 
be  grown  profitably  and  it  has  settled  the   point.       The 
orchard   represents  a  total  outlay  of  $24,000.00.     It  has 
returned  to  the  investors  $17,000.00,  leaving  the  net  cost 


Profits  in 
e  Pickled 


66  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

to  them  at  this  time  $7,000.00,  and  it  is  worth  at  a  con- 
servative estimate  $100,000.00.  The  crop  of  oranges  of 
1901  sold  for  more  than  $13,000.  These  are  facts  which 
can  be  verified  at  the  office  of  the  company.  The  associa- 
tion is  composed  of  Oroville  business  men  and  they  have 
made  no  secret  of  the  results  of  their  enterprise. 

The  olive  is  rapidly  becoming  the  staple  product  of 
oiites.  the  valley,  especially  of  the  foot-hill  regions,  and  the  suc- 
cess attained  in  the  growing  of  this  fruit  is  scarcely  second 
to  that  which  has  attended  orange  culture.  The  ripe 
pickled  olive  has  proved  a  revelation  to  olive  consumers. 
It  is  rich,  oily,  delicious,  and  wins  its  way  wherever  intro- 
duced. The  demand  has  increased  more  rapidly  than  the 
supply.  A  few  years  ago  when  first  the  olive  groves  of 
this  region  began  to  bear  fruit,  the  growers  found  it  almost 
impossible  to  market  their  product.  To-day,  immense 
pickling  establishments  turn  out  cured  olives  by  the  car- 
load and  are  unable  to  keep  up  with  their  orders.  Oroville 
shipped  last  year  one  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  pickled 
olives.  The  price  ranges  from  forty  cents  to  a  dollar  and 
a  quarter  a  gallon  according  to  quality,  and  the  business 
is  very  profitable. 

Olive  oil  is  also  manufactured  extensively,  and  the  oil 
industry  is  far  past  the  experimental  stage.  Manufactur- 
ers who  have  been  careful  to  maintain  a  high  standard  of 
purity  and  excellence  find  a  ready  market  at  remunerative 
prices,  among  those  who  have  learned  to  distinguish  the 
pure  article.  The  future  of  olive  oil  making  is  full  of 
promise,  especially  when  the  pure  California  olive  oil  is 
freed  from  the  competition  of  the  cheap  adulterated  oils  of 
Europe. 
Early  At  many  points  deciduous  fruits  ripen  early.     In  1901 

Cherries,  the  first  chcrrlcs  were  shipped  April  11th.  In  1902,  the 
season  was  later  and  the  first  cherries  sold  in  Chicago, 
April  29th,  for  $2.30  per  pound.  In  many  cases  the  profits 
from  an  acre  have  amounted  to  over  $200.  Secretary 
F.  E.  Wright  of  the  Sacramento  Valley  Development  Asso- 
ciation, says : 

"The  valley  is  the  natural  home  of  the  fig.       Small 


68  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

orchards  have  netted  from  $180  to  $200  per  acre  and  with 
our  present  crude  and  imperfect  knowledge  of  this  fruit 
we  are  making  serious  inroads  on  the  imported  article. 
Figs  and  The  vine  with  its  products  of  wine  and  table  and  raisin 
Grapes,  varieties  is  coming  to  the  front.  Our  wines  are  being 
recognized  as  worthy  of  trial.  Our  Tokays  as  table  grapes 
are  eagerly  sought  after  in  Eastern  markets,  and  Cali- 
fornia being  the  only  raisin  producer  in  the  Union,  we 
have  only  the  Levant  to  compete  with  for  this  trade  which 
covers  the  globe. 

°Fa™?ng  "The  grain  product  of  this  valley  is  still  the  para- 

Repiacing  mouut  interest,  but  growers  are  beginning  to  realize  that 

Grain  •  .,,..,  ^^ 

Growing,  there  are  other  pursuits  that  bring  larger  returns.  Un 
account  of  persistent  and  continual  annual  sowing  of  our 
lands  it  has  in  places  become  impoverished  for  the  grain 
product  and  this  style  of  farming  has  become  to  a  certain 
measure  unprofitable  and  the  era  has  come  when  the  large 
land-holders  recognizing  this  are  turning  their  attention  to 
diversified  farming.  The  loss  of  the  grain  acreage,  while 
somewhat  startling  to  the  old  holders,  is  really  a  blessing 
to  the  new  ones  and  the  old  ones,  too. 

' '  Right  here  is  the  opportunity  for  the  home  seeker  to 

secure  to  himself  a  piece  of  good  land  at  a  reasonable 

figure,  and  if  you  can't  do  anything  else  with  it  pay  taxes 

on  it  and  watch  it  increase  in  value. 

.  Sacramento  < '  ^j^j^g    Sacraiueuto   vallcy    and   its    watershed   is   an 

Valley  and  -' 

Its  Watershed,  empire  in  itself  with  its  17,908,960  acres  of  which  7,190,431 
acres  are  in  farms  containing  a  population  of  only  224,972. 
This  means  on  farms  an  acre  to  each  person  that  are  on 
farms,  not  including  cities  of  about  320  acres.  In  figuring 
on  the  total  of  our  area  compared  with  European  countries 
we  can  support  a  population  of  3,000,000  easily,  because 
Scotland  with  an  area  of  29,000  square  miles  (ours  is  a 
little  over  28,000)  supports  4,025,764.  Scotland's  con- 
ditions are  not  as  favorable  as  ours. 

' '  In  making  reference  to  the  scarcity  of  farm  help  in 
this  State  which  prevails,  the  idea  of  one  man  trying  to 
farm  320  acres  strikes  me  as  being  a  little  too  much,  in  fact 
a  great  deal  to  ask  of  one  man.     This  is  what  the  farmer 


THE   SACRAMENTO  VALLEY  69 

is  trying  to  do  and  doesn't  it  appear  that  he  is  trying  an 
impossibility  ?  The  solution  is  to  put  a  man  on  twenty 
acres  instead  of  320  acres.  This  is  the  only  true  solution 
of  the  farm  labor  question." 

And  right  here  concerning  farm  labor  and  the  con-  o^t.^^.^^^ 
ditions  that  exist,  it  is  well  to  clear  the  mind  of  the  Health  Lin. 
impression  that  has  gone  abroad  that  the  farm  laborer  is 
often  obliged  to  sleep  out-of-doors.  That  many  laborers 
do  sleep  out-of-doors  is  true,  but  a  friend  of  mine  who 
lives  on  a  farm  in  Colusa  county  calls  my  attention  to  the 
fact  that  this  is  not  a  very  demoralizing  practice.  Sleep- 
ing out-of-doors  in  California  is  regarded  as  an  invigor- 
ating action  and  a  health  lift  generally.  Camping  parties 
usually  count  on  sleeping  with  nothing  above  them  but 
the  blue  sky,  and  harvest  hands,  fruit  pickers  and  others 
scorn  even  a  tent  covering  and  do  so  usually  because  there 
is  no  need  of  shelter.  Thus  out-of-door  slumber  has  be- 
come a  custom  of  the  country  established  by  the  well-to-do; 
engendered  by  climatic  conditions,  and  is  enjoyed  as  much 
by  the  camping  capitalist  as  by  the  humble  harvest  hand. 

Concerning   prices   of    land,   further   correspondence  ^^"g^*"'^ 
with  those  informed  will  give  details,  but  generally  speak-  Bought  For. 
ing  it  may  be  said  that  good  land  may  be  obtained  in  the 
Sacramento  valley  averaging  in  price  from  $25  an  acre 
upwards,    according    to   location    and    character   of    soil. 
Home-seekers  are  interested  in  the  lands  that  are  for  sale, 
and   the  lands  of  this  valley  will  bear  comparison  with 
any  land  on  earth.      The  foothill  lands   of  red  gravel  and 
clay  are  among  the  best  of  fruit  lands.      Foothill  lands 
seem  to  be  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  growth  of  citrus  and 
deciduous  fruits.    Nearly  all  the  oranges  grown  for  market 
in  the  central  counties  of  California  are  in  the  foothills, 
although  orange  trees  may  be  found  growing  luxuriantly 
and  bearing  heavily  in  all  parts  of  the  valley  region. 

Deciduous  fruits  attain  the  highest  perfection  on  these 
lands  and  some  of  the  most  successful  orchard  districts 
in  the  State  are  in  the  foothills.  The  foothill  lands  offer 
an  inviting  field  to  the  man  of  small  capital.  With 
water  they  will  grow  anything  he  may  care  to  plant,  and 


70  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

by  practicing  care,  economy  and  thrift  he  can  acquire  a 
competency  within  a  very  short  time, 
wiii^support  The  level  valley  lands  which  are  certain  to  be  sub- 

a  Family,  divided  and  sold  as  rapidly  as  there  is  demand  for  them, 
will  bear  comparison  with  the  rich  soil  of  the  valley  of 
the  Nile.  While  small  farmers  are  comparatively  few, 
enough  of  them  exist  to  prove  beyond  question  that  a  few 
acres  devoted  to  a  diversity  of  crops,  properly  tilled,  will 
support  a  family  in  comfort  and  plenty. 

o   ortunities  ^^^  Opportunities  offered   by  these  lands   are  of  the 

of  Today,  greater  valuc  because  of  the  growing  scarcity  of  good  land 
at  this  time.  A  few  years  ago  the  enterprising  Easterner 
packed  his  goods  into  a  wagon  and  moved  West;  he  staked 
out  his  claim  to  the  fertile  plains  adjacent  to  the 
Missouri,  and  the  land  was  his  for  the  taking.  To-day 
there  is  no  desirable  government  land  that  is  available, 
but  the  stream  of  western  immigration  remains  un- 
checked. The  opportunities  of  the  Sacramento  valley 
exist  because  the  valley  is  as  yet  comparatively  unknown 
in  the  East.  'The  movement  now  on  foot  to  advertise 
California  and  the  great  interior  valleys  is  certain  to 
attract  hither  within  a  short  time  a  vast  number  of  people 
bent  on  securing  land.  The  opportunities  of  to-day  will 
not  exist  to-morrow.  The  certainty  of  future  growth  in 
population,  in  productiveness  and  in  all  that  goes  to  make 
a  prosperous  country,  is  a  matter  which  should  appeal  to 
the  home  seeker.  Transportation  facilities  by  water  and 
by  rail,  close  proximity  of  great  commercial  center  and  sea- 
port, the  existence  and  rapid  development  of  vast  re- 
sources of  power,  all  these,  as  well  as  the  fertility  of  the 
land  and  salubrity  of  the  climate,  should  challenge  the 
attention  of  every  reader  of  this  book._^ 
Wonders  of  I^ake  Tahoc — that  mountain  sea  on  the  boundary  line 

Lake  Tahoe,  a  ^  ^  .  -^ 

Mile  Above  between  California  and  Nevada  and  forming  part  of  the 
eastern  boundary  of  Placer  and  El  Dorado  counties — is  a 
continuous  revel  of  unfailing  joy.  Such  lights  and  shades, 
such  morning  and  evening  effects,  such  depth  of  shadow 
on  forest-lined  shores,  such  sunlight  flashes  on  rippling 
waves,   are  marshaled  for  the   camera  at  no  other  place 


72  CALIFORNIA  TO-DAY 

known  to  geographer  or  photographer.  Up  here  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  6,220  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea,  the 
air  is  of  wondrous  clearness.  Clouds  gather  on  the 
mountain  crests  all  about,  and  floating  overhead  cast 
shadows  into  the  unfathomed  depths.  The  waves  are  of 
changing  hues.  Yellow  and  emerald  and  indigo  tints  are 
here,  giving  the  water-color  artist  rapturous  and  busy 
ArtiSic  hours.  But  for  direct  picturing  of  the  marvelous  and 
Effects.  j.a^pi(jiy  changing  combinations  of  sunlight  and  shade,  the 
camera  is  most  effective.  The  lake  is  twenty-three  miles 
long  and  thirteen  wide — a  crystal  mirror  in  the  rugged 
Sierra  setting.  Around  the  shores  of  the  lake  are  many 
summer  hotels  and  famed  camping  resorts.  Into  the  lake 
run  trout  streams  of  unfailing  delight  to  the  sportsman. 
High  in  the  mountains  all  about  are  other  deep-water  lakes 
of  rare  beauty. 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  VALLEY.  California's  Great  Central  Basin— The  Great 
Producing  District  of  the  State  —  A  Region  of  Wondrous  Fertility — A  Vast 
Granary  —  Important  Stock  and  Dairy  Interests  —  The  Most  Important 
Raisin  District  in  the  World  —  A  Treasure  Bed  of  Horticulture  —  Extensive 
Oil  Fields  —  Vast  Timber  and  Mineral  Lands  —  An  Inexhaustible  Water 
Supply  —  An  Irrigation  System  of  Unequalled  Magnitude — What  Professor 
Elwood  Mead  Says  — More  Irrigable  Land  Than  Watered  by  the  Nile  — 
Stockton,  the  Delta  City— Profits  In  Table  Grapes— Great  Dam  at  La 
Grange  — Porterville  Oranges  — Fresno  and  Its  Varied  Resources  — Yosemite 
Valley  and  the  National  Reserve  — In  the  Bret  Harte  Country. 


Royal  the  reaches  of  wheat  in  the  valley  ! 

Abundance  has  blessed  the  wide  wastes  of  the  plain. 
And  hosts  of  the  strong-headed  harvesters  rally 

At  dawn-flush  to  garner  the  glittering  gf  ain. 

Full  hang  thy  orchards  with  fruitage  of  summer, 
Thy  citrons  'mid  blossoms  bless  winter  and  spring. 

But  autumn,  the  radiant  year  cycWs  last  comer. 
Bears,  clustered  in  purple,  the  grape  which  is  king. 

— Chari^ES  KEEI.ER. 


LOOKING  at  the  topographical  map  of  California,  the 
curious  formation  of  the  mountain  ranges  attracts 
the  eye.  The  towering  Sierra  Nevada  form  the 
eastern  border  and  boundary,  while  circling  about  in  the 
form  of  an  inverted  letter  C  are  the  mountains  of  the 
Coast  Range,  bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Siskiyou  and 
on  the  south  by  Tehachapi.  Enclosed  within  these 
mountain  ranges  is  the  great  interior  valley  of  California,  The  Great 
the  north  half  the  Sacramento,  the  south  half  the  San  vaiieyof 
Joaquin. ,  Properly  speaking,  it  is  one  great  valley,  the 
natural  drainage  from  both  centering  in  the  Sacramento 
river,  flowing  westerly  into  San  Francisco  bay  and  out 
into  the  Pacific. 

Climatic  conditions  in  both  Sacramento  and  San 
Joaquin  valleys  are  much  alike,  but  to  the  resident  each 
valley  has  its  special  characteristics  that  make  it  of 
peculiar  value.     No  old  resident  of  the  San  Joaquin,  for 


74  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

example,  will  admit  for  a  moment  that  anywhere  on  earth 
exists  a  country  superior  to  that  about  his  home,  and  the 
Sacramento  valley  man  holds  equally  positive  opinions, 
vlneyof  This  whole  valley  of  California  has  been  compared, 

the  Nile,  and  justly  so,  with  the  vast  valley  of  the  Nile,  where  the 
scientists  and  engineers  of  England  have  been  at  work 
solving  the  greatest  engineering  problem  of  modern  times. 
Quoting  a  recent  writer,  A.J.  Wells: 

"  Here  is  the  great  sea  valley  of  California,  and  there 
is  the  valley  of  the  Nile.  That  is  ancient ;  this  is  modern. 
That  is  sown  with  forgotten  generations  ;  this  is  virgin 
soil,  still  gay  with  the  wild  flowers  of  its  youth.  There 
the  old  and  the  new  civilizations  meet,  and  the  regenera- 
tion of  the  country  through  its  agriculture  is  begun  ;  here 
the  methods  of  to-day  wait  to  renew  the  wealth  and  in- 
crease the  population  of  a  valley  that  will  one  day  be  as 
famous  as  the  valley  of  the  Nile,  and  will  maintain,  in 
latter-day  comfort,  as  dense  a  population." 
Rich  This  valley  of  the  San  Joaquin  is  about  two  hundred 

Mountain  -^  ^         n 

Treasure  Beds,  and  fifty  uiilcs  loug  and  averages  sixty  miles  in  width, 
and  comprises  a  total  area  of  nearly  34,000  square  miles. 
Its  counties,  including  the  foothill  and  mountain  regions 
that  drain  naturally  into  the  valley,  comprise  Amador, 
Calaveras,  Fresno,  Kern,  Kings,  Madera,  Mariposa, 
Merced,  San  Joaquin,  Stanislaus,  Tulare  and  Tuolumne. 
The  most  northern  county  of  the  valley  is  Amador ;  the 
most  southern,  Kern.  In  the  mountains  are  rich  mines 
and  richer  treasure  beds  undeveloped.  In  the  valley  are 
vast  areas  of  fertile  soil,  much  of  it  well  cultivated,  but 
acres  upon  acres  are  waiting  for  the  energy  of  the  settler. 
Raisins,  the  equal  of  any  the  world  produces,  center  about 
Fresno.  Throughout  the  valley  from  San  Joaquin  to 
Kern  are  vast  ranches  producing  wheat  that  is  shipped 
from  tide- water  to  the  grain  markets  of  the  world. 

Kern  county  is  the  center  of  the  great  petroleum  in- 
dustry of  comparatively  recent  development.  All  along 
the  foothills  are  sheltered  regions  where  semi-tropical 
fruits — oranges,  lemons,  olives  and  figs, — grow  luxuriantly 
and  ripen  so  early  as  to  give  these   regions   a  marked  ad- 


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76  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

vantage  from  the  standpoint  of  the  shipper  who  wishes  to 
reach    Eastern    markets   before    rival  sections  send  their 
shipments. 
oran°e  Around  Porterville  in  Tulare  county  there  is  a  large 

Groves,  area  of  orange  groves,  and  shipments  of  oranges  from 
Porterville  alone  last  season  (1902-1903),  amounted  to  367 
carloads.  Throughout  the  valley  are  well-tilled  farms 
(which  to  every  Californian  are  known  as  ranches),  pro- 
ducing fruits  and  other  products,  including  prunes, 
peaches,  apricots,  figs,  olives,  plums,  pears,  berries,  wine, 
oranges,  lemons,  lumber,  wheat,  barley,  corn,  melons, 
potatoes,  wool,  alfalfa,  cattle,  sheep,  horses,  poultry. 

All  these  products  tell  of  the  fertility  of  the  valley, 
but  with  more  people  these  products  of  this  fertile  district 
are  capable  of  vast  increase.  Down  from  the  Sierra  flow 
rivers  and  creeks  fed  from  the  glaciers  of  snow-capped 
mountains,  giving  an  unfailing  water  supply  which  needs 
only  to  be  diverted  to  make  fruitful  large  sections  of  now 
unproductive  lands.  Professor  Klwood  Mead,  the  govern- 
ment expert,  now  associated  with  the  University  of  Cali- 
fornia, whose  recent  report  is  most  interesting,  says  of  the 
great  valley,  that  the  water  supply  available  there,  "ought 
to  make  of  it  the  Egypt  of  the  western  hemisphere. 
Within  a  radius  of  five  miles  I  saw  every  product  of  the 
temperate  and  semi-tropical  zones  which  I  could  call  to 
mind."  And  he  adds  that  there  are  "  more  acres  of  irri- 
gable land  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley  than  are  now  watered 
in  Egypt  from  the  Nile,  where  agriculture  alone  supports 
more  than  five  million  people." 

^TeSc  -^^^  ^"^y  ^^  *^^  water  of  these  fast-flowing  streams 

Power,  of  value  for  irrigation  purposes,  but  for  the  development 
of  power,  and  principally  electric  power,  for  manufactures. 
Already  several  such  projects  are  begun  and  a  number  of 
progressive  mining  companies  are  using  power  obtained 
from  this  unfailing  source. 

From  Electra,  on  the  Mokelumne  river,  forty-five 
miles  from  Stockton,  a  power  line  has  been  constructed  to 
San  Francisco,  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  miles  distant. 
The   plants   serving  this  line   have  a  capacity  of  15,000 


78  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

horse  power,  which  can  be  increased  at  small  expense.   This 
line  supplies  power  for  mills  and  factories  throughout  its 
length. 
Irrigating  the  Qf  ^-^^   1  446,114   acres   of  land   under  irrigation  in 

San  Joaquin  '  ' _  o 

Valley.  California,  according  to  the  last  Government  report, 
749,917  acres,  or  something  over  one-half,  were  in  the  San 
Joaquin  Valley  alone.  This  immense  area  is  irrigated  in 
part  by  canal  systems  and  in  part  by  pumping  plants  lift- 
ing the  water  from  wells  which  tap  the  great  reservoir  of 
water  underlying  the  entire  San  Joaquin  valley,  at  depths 
varying  from  twenty-five  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

The  great  dam  at  La  Grange,  Stanislaus  county,  on 
the  Tuolumne  river,  in  the  Sierra  foothills,  is  an  example 
of  what  can  be  done  to  harness  the  waste  waters.  Here  a 
flow  of  75,000  miners'  inches  is  diverted,  sufiicient  to  irri- 
gate 375,000  acres.  This  dam  was  recently  constructed 
at  a  cost  of  over  $550,000.  In  San  Joaquin  county,  the 
delta  county  of  the  valley,  there  are  now  two  irrigating 
systems  to  which  a  very  large  alfalfa,  dairying  and  fruit 
growing  area  is  tributary.  The  reclaimed  lands  of  this 
county  are  irrigated  through  substantial  flood  gates  built 
in  the  levees.  In  Fresno,  Madera,  Merced,  Kings,  Tulare, 
and  Kern  counties,  an  immense  district  is  embraced  within 
a  most  excellent  system  of  irrigation. 

Through  each  county  of  this  valley  one  may  go, 
pointing  out  matters  of  peculiar  interest,  but  space  does 
not  permit  detailed  description  of  the  advantages  of  the 
various  counties.  San  Joaquin  county  alone  contains 
87*5,000  acres,  and  in  common  phrase  is  known  as  "the 
gateway "  of  this  region.  Through  it  pass  most  of  the 
travelers  going  from  Sacramento,  the  capital  of  California, 
to  the  lower  counties  of  the  valley,  or  to  Los  Angeles. 
FertiieDeita  ^^^  Joaquiu  couuty  alouc  is  a  principality  made  up  of 

San  Joaquin,  a  most  euterprisiug  populatiou.  The  delta  or  tule  lands 
consist  of  about  150,000  acres,  originally  classed  as 
swamp  or  overflowed  lands,  and  covered  with  a  dense 
growth  of  flags  or  tules.  A  large  portion  of  these 
lands  consists  of  islands  embraced  by  channels  and 
connecting  forks   of  the  San  Joaquin  river.     They  have 


80  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

been  reclaimed  by  dyking  in  large  areas,  and  within  the 
past  few  years  have  been  developed  by  intensive  agricul- 
ture to  rank  as  the  most  productive  lands  of  the  county. 
In  this  area  are  found  large  tracts  of  peat  lands,  which  are 
devoted  to  asparagus,  celery,  potatoes,  onions,  chicory, 
beans,  and  other  vegetables  ;  black  loam  of  unfathomed 
depth,  made  from  the  accumulation  of  decayed  vegetable 
matter  during  past  centuries  ;  sandy  loam,  in  w^hich  the 
detritus  brought  from  the  mountains  by  floods  is  blended 
with  the  vegetable  mold  of  the  tules  ;  and  alluvium,  con- 
sisting of  patches  and  zones  of  extremely  rich  and  gritless 
deposits  washed  from  the  Sierra. 
Fertile  The   best   known   of    the  delta   lands  are  :    Bouldin 

Islands  of  the 

San  Joaquin.  Islaud,  whcrc  there  is  an  asparagus  farm  of  1,700  acres, 
from  which  two  great  canneries  put  up  each  season  100,000 
cases  of  asparagus  for  which  the  world's  epicures  pay  half 
a  million  dollars;  Staten  Island,  largely  devoted  to  stock 
raising  on  its  evergreen  pasture,  but  where  also  fortunes 
have  been  made  'during  the  past  few  years  in  growing 
potatoes;  Rough  and  Ready  Island,  where  some  of  the 
finest  cherries,  apricots  and  peaches  of  the  State  are 
grown ;  Roberts  Island,  an  extensive  tract,  on  which  are 
produced  the  heaviest  crops  of  wheat  and  barley,  the  most 
abundant  yields  of  potatoes,  beans  and  onions  and  the 
only  chicory  grown  on  the  Coast ;  Union  Island,  similar 
to  Roberts  Island  in  the  variety  and  quantity  of  its  veget- 
able productions.  North  of  Stockton,  along  the  Calaveras 
and  Mokelumne  rivers,  the  soil  is  a  rich,  black,  sandy 
loam.  Here  are  many  of  the  vineyards,  orchards,  small 
truck  gardens  and  dairies  of  the  county.  In  this  section 
from  ten  to  thirty  acres  are  found  to  be  a  sufficient  holding 
to  enable  the  owner  to  support  his  family  and  at  the  same 

Ten  to  Thirty  time   accumulatc   a   bank  account.     The  newcomer,  as  a 
Eniugh^  rule,  engages  in   general  farming  and  truck  gardening, 
finding   that   with   a   few   cows,  chickens  and  an  alfalfa 
patch  an  income  is  assured  from  the  start. 

In  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Stockton  is  found  a  rich 
black  soil  that  produces  heavy  crops  of  grain,  produce  and 
fruits.     Southward  from  the  city  is  a  region  whose  soil  is 


82  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

a  sandy  loam,  devoted  largely  to  dairying,  alfalfa  and  grain 
farming. 
sanj^^uin  According  to  the  census  of  1900,  San  Joaquin  county 

Valley  Leads,  was  the  leading  county  of  the  State  in  the  production  of 
wheat,  barley,  rye,  potatoes  and  chicory.  Experience  has 
shown  the  county  to  be  well  adapted  to  the  production  of 
alfalfa,  almonds,  apricots,  table  and  wine  grapes,  berries, 
peaches,  pears,  olives,  cherries,  and  produce  of  all  kinds. 

On  the  subject  of  grapes  and  wines  in  San  Joaquin 
county,  Frank  A.  West,  of  Stockton,  one  of  the  leading 
winemakers  of  California,  in  a  recent  signed  article  says: 

"The  profits  in  grapes  of  the  last  few  years  have 
ranged  from  $50  to  $200  per  acre,  according  to  local  condi- 
tions ;  table  grapes  having  in  some  cases  yielded  the  last 
named  figure  and  even  more.  I  give  below  a  few  figures 
taken  from  our  records  of  the  past  fifteen  years  which  show 
the  smallest  sum  received  by  growers  in  any  year  and  the 
yearly  average  :  Ezra  Fiske,  smallest  receipts  $28  per 
acre  ;  average  for  fifteen  years,  $49  per  acre.  Fitz- 
gerald Estate,  smallest  receipts,  $24  per  acre,  average 
for  fourteen  years,  $56  per  acre.  D.  H.  Loveland,  smallest 
receipts  $15  per  acre,  average  for  fifteen  years,  $82  per 
acre.  J.  W.  Bunch,  smallest  receipts,  $78  per  acre, 
average  for  ten  years,  $98  per  acre.  A.  L.  Bonham,  small- 
est receipts,  $30  per  acre,  average  for  fifteen  years,  $101  per 
acre.  These  figures  are  authentic  and  not  in  any  way  ex- 
ceptional, dozens  of  similar  cases  can  be  cited  from  our 
books. 
Attractions  '<  'j'jie  growing  of  table  grapes  is  an  industry  which  ap- 

vineyard.  peals  vcry  strougly  to  thrifty  families,  for,  in  addition  to 
the  excellent  prices  generally  received  for  the  grapes  a 
considerable  sum  is  received  for  the  labor  of  packing, 
which  has  been  comfortably  carried  on  in  the  open  air. 

"  The  cost  of  planting  and  growing  a  vineyard  depends 
entirely  upon  local  conditions  and  upon  the  character  of 
the  work  done  ;  but  when  once  in  bearing  the  cost  of  cul- 
tivation and  care  does  not  vary  much  from  $15  per  acre  per 
annum.  This,  of  course,  does  not  mean  that  a  farmer  hav- 
ing ten  or  twenty  acres  in  vines  will  pay  out  in  cash  $15 


THE    SAN  JOAQUIN   VALLEY  83 

per  acre,  but  that  to  hire  the  work  done  and  pay  for  every- 
thing used  in  the  way  of  hay  and  feed,  horse  hire,  labor 
and  incidentals,  will  cost  that  much.  A  farmer  owning  a 
vineyard  in  connection  with  general  farming  is  out  of 
pocket  only  a  very  small  sum  in  cash,  for  the  reason  that 
the  work  done  in  his  vineyard  is  done  when  nothing  else 
could  be  done.  To  this  $15  add  $2  per  ton  for  the  actual 
cost  of  harvesting  a  crop,  and  it  is  evident  that  a  very 
small  crop  will  pay  a  profit  even  if  the  present  prices  for 
grapes  were  cut  in  two." 

Stockton,  the  county  seat  of  San  Joaquin  county,  is  ^f^^sf^^J^on. 
seventh  in  size  among  the  cities  of  California.  In  advan- 
tages it  is  second  only  to  San  Francisco  ;  for  here  where 
waterways  and  railways  meet,  where  the  product  of  the 
vast  fertile  valley  must  come  to  reach  tidewater,  where 
miners  from  the  foothills  and  mountains  come  for  sup- 
plies, surrounded  as  it  is  by  a  country  of  marvelously  rich 
soil,  with  natural  gas  wells  for  cheap  fuel  and  lighting, 
with  a  climate  so  mild  that  the  storm-bound  New  Englan- 
ders  cannot  but  regard  it  as  close  to  Eden  —  here  are  ideal 
conditions  for  the  building  up  of  a  great  city. 

For  many  years  Stockton  has  drawn  to  it  large  manu- 
facturing interests.  Here  is  the  home  of  the  combined 
harvester,  that  product  of  inventive  brain,  which  enters  a 
field  of  standing  grain  and  passing  through  it,  leaves 
behind  filled  sacks  ready  for  shipment.  Here  are  also 
woolen  mills,  .flour  mills,  tanneries,  a  pottery  that  the  old 
world  might  envy,  the  only  window  glass  factory  on  the 
Pacific  Coast,  factories  that  turn  out  complicated  mechan- 
ism for  dredging  the  rivers  and  sloughs,  big  establishments 
that  produce  farm  and  mining  implements.  Between 
Stockton  and  San  Francisco  ply  steamers  carrying  both 
freight  and  passengers,  and  the  steamer  trip  in  summer 
down  the  picturesque  channel  and  river  on  through  the 
straits  of  Carquinez,  Suisun  and  San  Pablo  bays  into  the 
bay  of  San  Francisco,  is  a  favored  one  for  the  traveler. 

That  Stockton  should  be  known  as  the  *'  Delta  City,"  The  Delta 
instead  of  the  more  common  term,  "  Gateway,"  is  the  con- 
tention of  many  proud  residents,  for  by  reason  of  its  loca- 


84  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

tion  upon  the  rich  delta  of  the  San  Joaquin  come  most  of 
its  natural  advantages.  The  rare  combination  here  of 
cheap  power,  raw  material  and  low  transportation  charges 
makes  the  city  an  ideal  spot  for  the  manufacturer.  Natu- 
ral gas  underlies  the  city  in  great  quantities.  The  oil 
region  of  the  San  Joaquin  valley  and  the  unlimited  water 
power  of  the  Sierra  are  easily  accessible.  The  Tesla  coal 
region,  close  at  hand,  comprises  over  twelve  square  miles, 
a  remarkable  mineral  soil,  producing  good  fuel  coal  as  well 
as  clay  for  pottery,  limestone,  manganese,  glass  sand  and 
cement  gravel. 
Educational  'j^jjg  schools  of  Stocktou  and  San  Joaquin  county  rank 

Features  of       ,  ....  . 

the  County,  high  among  educational  institutions.  The  two  high 
schools  of  the  county  prepare  students  for  the  University 
of  California  and  Stanford  University  as  well  as  for  the 
State  normal  schools. 

Jas.  A.  Barr,  city  superintendent  of  the  Stockton 
schools,  says  : 

"  While  the  family  man  seeking  a  new  home  may  in- 
quire about  soils,  markets,  crops,  he  seldom  fails  to  ask 
about  the  schools  of  the  particular  locality  he  is  investi- 
gating. 

'*  The  resident  of  San  Joaquin  county,  present  or  pros- 
pective, whether  his  lot  be  cast  in  city,  village  or  outlying 
district,  is  certain  to  secure  for  his  children  a  good  common 
school  education.  The  eighty-four  school  districts  outside 
of  Stockton  with  their  106  teachers  provide  a  system  of 
schools  that  covers  every  part  of  the  county  and  that  fur- 
school  uishes  as  thorough  a  primary  and  grammar  school  educa- 
system.  ^^^^  g^g  g^j^y  parent  could  wish  for. 

"  In  the  graded  schools  of  Stockton  the  course  of  study 
provides  for  eight  years  of  instruction  below  the  high 
school.  In  the  schools  of  the  county,  both  graded  and  un- 
graded, the  cotirse  of  study  extends  through  a  period  of 
nine  years,  the  extra  year  being  added  for  the  benefit  of 
the  large  number  of  pupils  who  are  unable  to  attend  a  high 
school. 

"  While  in  many  of  the  county  schools  one  teacher 
has  all  nine  grades  to  instruct,  the  course  of  study  is  so 


86  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

arranged  as  to  secure  thorougli  instruction  in  those  sub- 
jects that  are  of  most  use  in  everyday  life.  The  larger 
villages  and  towns  have  excellent  graded  schools,  employ- 
ing from  two  to  seven  teachers  each. 

To  the  homeseeker  looking  toward  the  gateway  ci  ty 
it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the  Stockton  course  of 
study  is  used  as  a  text  book  in  various  State  normal  schools 
and  universities,  that  it  has  been  placed  on  each  teacher's 
desk  as  a  reference  book  in  various  cities  in  Canada  and 
the  United  States,  and  that  it  has  been  taken  as  the  basis 
for  courses  of  study  in  many  cities  and  counties  through- 
out the  country." 

-  '^Tssesil  '^^^  assessed  valuation   of  the  counties  of  the  San 

Valuation.  Joaquiu  vallcy  has  been  steadily  increasing  by  reason  of 
the  added  productiveness  caused  by  the  industrious  resi- 
dents as  well  as  by  the  general  prosperity  of  the  entire 
State.  The  total  assessed  valuation,  according  to  the 
latest  figures  of  the  State  Controller  (1902),  of  all  the 
counties  of  the  valley  is  $164,777,761,  an  increase  of 
$6,911,306  over  the  preceding  year.  These  counties  com- 
prise a  land  of  opportunity  to-day  equal  to  any  section  of 
this  State.  Men  are  needed  here  for  developing  not  only 
the  soil  but  the  mines  ;  for  lumbering  and  irrigation  pro- 
jects, for  home-making  and  for  lending  their  brains  and 
their  labor  to  upbuild  the  State. 

^f  Modesto  South    of  San  Joaquin    county,   in    order   stretching 

and  Stanislaus  across  the  valley,  are  the  counties  of  Stanislaus,  Merced, 
Madera  and  Fresno.  Modesto,  the  county  seat  of  Stanis- 
laus county,  is  seventy-seven  miles  south  of  Sacramento, 
the  capital  of  the  State,  and  ninety-two  miles  north  of 
Fresno,  thirty  miles  south  of  Stockton  ;  all  these  figures 
by  rail.  Modesto  is  a  thriving  city  with  many  advantages 
and  attractions  for  the  business  man  as  well  as  for  the 
resident  seeking  health.  Through  the  county  run  the 
Stanislaus,  Tuolumne  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  the  last 
two  navigable  for  six  months  of  the  year. 

Stanislaus    presents    the    typical    California   climate; 
about  the  same  weight  of  clothes  comfortable  all  the  year. 


THE   SAN  JOAQUIN   VALLEY  87 

The  winter  is  short  and  mild,  the  rainfall  at  the  county  cluloriia 
seat  ranging  from  eight  to  twelve  inches  annually,  snow  cumate. 
unknown,  frost  infrequent  and  rarely  damaging  even  to 
tender  plants  and  the  susceptible  or'ange  blossom.  Roses 
bloom  in  the  open  air  as  late  as  December  and  January, 
and  in  March  are  again  in  bloom.  The  average  tempera- 
ture for  November,  December  and  January,  deduced  from 
early  morning,  noon  and  late  evening  observations,  is 
fifty  degrees;  for  June,  July  and  August,  seventy-seven 
degrees.  Thunder  and  lightning  are  heard  and  seen 
rarely  and  from  afar;  tornadoes  and  cyclones  are  unknown 
elements  in  California.  ''  Bright  and  clear "  reads  the 
weather  observer's  record  almost  uniformly,  and  balmy 
and  bracing  applies  also  save  for  occasional  periods  of  a 
day  or  two  in  the  height  of  summer.  The  heat,  however, 
at  these  infrequent  periods  is  dry  and  less  distressing 
than  that  of  Eastern  cities,  often  when  the  thermometer 
registers  twenty  degrees  lower. 

The  soil  is  a  sandy  loam  on  the  plain  between  the  souand 

-^  _  -^  ^  ^  Products. 

Stanislaus  and  San  Joaquin  rivers ;  heavier  and  with 
some  adobe  on  the  west  side  of  the  San  Joaquin  ;  a 
strong,  red  soil  and  adobe  in  the  foothills.  It  has 
largely  been  planted  to  wheat  for  twenty-five  to  thirty 
years.  The  wheat  crop  averages  from  100,000  to 
1 10,000  tons.  In  1902  the  yield  was  approximately 
100,000  tons,  worth,  at  the  ruling  price  at  this  writing, 
no  less  than  $2,200,000.  Stanislaus  also  produces 
annually  an  average  of  5,000  tons  of  barley  and  5,000 
tons  of  rye,  each  of  a  market  value  of  from  $14.00  to 
$16.00  per  ton.  Corn  and  oats  are  produced,  but  in 
comparatively  small  quantities,  the  other  cereals  being 
more  profitable  as  a  rule.  Whenever  irrigation  is  prac- 
ticed, the  range  of  products  is  practically  unlimited,  em- 
bracing everything  known  to  the  temperate  and  semi-tropic 
zones.  Oranges  —  choice  fruit  that  to  see  is  to  covet  — 
are  ready  for  the  Thanksgiving  market,  commanding  from 
$2.00  to  $2.50  per  box,  net ;  limes  and  lemons  leave  noth- 
ing to  be  desired  ;  olives,  almonds,  walnuts,  prunes  and 
figs  yield  prolifically. 


88  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


Irrigation 
Systems  of 
the 


The  La  Grange  dam  has  already  been  referred  to  here. 
County.  Its  completion  is  the  result  of  uniting  two  irrigating  dis- 
tricts known  as  the  Turlock  and  the  Modesto  :  one  embrac- 
ing  176,000  acres  lying  between  the  Tuolumne  and  San 
Joaquin   rivers  ;  the  other  embracing  82,000  acres  lying 
between  Tuolumne  and  Stanislaus.    The  Tuolumne  is  the 
source    of   supply  for  both  districts.     This  stream  has  a 
watershed   second  only  to  that  of  one  other  river  of  the 
State,  carries  a  vast  volume  of  water  and  is  never-failing, 
fed  by  the  perennial  snows  of  the  Sierra.    The  water  rights 
of  the  districts  take  precedence  over  all  others  save  that  of 
a  mining  company  possessing  a  very  limited  appropria- 
tion.    The  United  States  hydrographer's  reports,  covering 
daily    measurements    extending    over   a   series    of  years, 
demonstrate  that  the  flow  of  the  Tuolumne  river,   at  the 
point  where  the  water  is  diverted  by  these  irrigation  sys- 
tems, is  never  less  than  five  thpusand  cubic  feet  per  second 
and  frequently  rises  to  ten  thousand  cubic  feet  per  second. 
The  Turlock  district  appropriation  is  fifteen  hundred  cubic 
feet,  or  seventy-five  thousand  acres,   or  twice  the  area  em- 
braced in  the  district.    The  appropriation  for  Modesto  dis- 
trict, with  about  half  the  acreage  of  Turlock  district,  is  in 
corresponding  ratio.     The  dam  is  located  just   above  the 
historic  mining  town  of  La  Grange,  in  the  foothills  of  the 
Sierra,  thirty-two  miles  distant  from  the  centers  of  the  dis- 
tricts, and  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest  structures  of  the 
kind  in  the  world.      It  is  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven 
feet  in  length,  ninety-seven  feet  through  at  the  base  and 
twelve  feet  through  at  the  crest,  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
seven  feet  in  height,  arching  up  stream. 

Turlock  Canal  f  jjg  Turlock  district  canal  system  comprises  twenty- 

two  miles  of  main  canal,  seventy-four  feet  in  width  at  the 
bottom  and  designed  to  carry  a  maximum  depth  of  eight 
feet  of  water  ;  two  main  laterals,  aggregating  thirty-five 
miles,  forty  feet  in  width  on  the  bottom  ;  and  six  sub- 
laterals,  aggregating  eighty  miles  in  length,  ranging 
from  eighteen  to  forty  feet  in  width,  floor  measurement. 
The  main  canal  of  the  Modesto  district  system  is  sixty- 
two  feet  in  width  on  the  bottom,  and  will  supply  ninety 


90  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

miles  of  laterals  ranging  from  eighteen  to  forty  feet  in 
width. 

°Ga^tn*  '^^^    Turlock   district    system    represents    a    bonded 

indebtedness  of  $1,200,000  at  five  per  cent,  the  bonds  run- 
ning forty  years,  no  part  of  the  principal  payable  until 
1922.  The  Modesto  district  system  represents  a  bonded 
indebtedness  of  $1,100,000,  at  five  per  cent,  no  part  of  the 
principal  payable  until  1922.  The  tax  to  defray  interest 
and  maintenance  averages  forty-five  cents  per  acre  in  the 
Turlock  district,  the  property  embraced  in  the  city  of 
Modesto  paying  two-fifths  of  the  Modesto  district  tax, 
which  would  otherwise  be  eighty  cents  per  acre.  After 
1922  one-twentieth  of  the  principal  of  the  bonded  indebt- 
edness will  be  payable  annually  ;  or  the  bonds  may  be  re- 
funded at  lower  interest. 

It  is  figured  by  residents  that  in  a  few  years  over 
eighty-two  thousand  acres  in  the  center  of  the  county  will 
by  reason  of  the  water  brought  upon  it  become  one  great 
garden.  Here,  already,  are  thriving  orchards  and  vine- 
yards and  extensive  tracts  of  alfalfa — that  prolific  forage 
grass  that  is  the  wonder  of  the  stranger  and  pride  of  the 
Californian  and  the  all-the-year-around  food  friend  of 
cattle  and  horses.  Concerning  alfalfa  and  what  it  stands 
for,  T.  C.  Hocking,  President  of  the  Stanislaus  county 
Board  of  Trade,  says  : 

"  Dairying  is  becoming  a  very  prominent  industry, 
because  of  the  favorable  conditions  and  excellent  profits. 
Twenty  acres  in  alfalfa  will  support  thirty  cows,  and  one 
man  at  a  salary  of  $35.00  per  month  will  milk  and  care  for 
the  herd.  The  milk  will  bring  at  the  creamery  from  $4.50 
to  $7.00  per  cow,  according  to  the  grade  of  the  cow.  The 
skimmed  milk,  returned  and  fed  to  calves  and  hogs,  will 
afford  an  income  sufficient  to  meet  expenses,  leaving  the- 
returns  from  the  creamery  net  profit.  Modesto  Creamery 
patrons  received  twenty  cents  a  pound  for  butter  fat  fur- 
nished in  May,  1902.  The  land  can  be  purchased  in 
small  tracts  at  from  $25.00  to  $40.00  per  acre,  and  can  be 
graded,  checked  and  planted  to  alfalfa  for  from  $6.00  to 
$10.00  per  acre — for  $6.00,  if  the  man  does  the  work  him- 


Dairying  in 
Stanislaus. 


Yields. 


THE    SAN   JOAQUIN    VALLEY  91 

self;  $10.00  under  contract.  Planted  in  the  fall  alfalfa 
attains  a  fine  stand  by  spring,  and  is  good  for  seven  years 
without  re-sowing,  yielding  five  crops  annually,  each  crop 
one  and  one-half  tons  to  the  acre,  affording  pasturage  after 
the  curing  season.  With  a  few  acres  in  alfalfa,  and  a  few 
cows,  a  family  is  assured  of  a  living  within  a  very  brief  ^^p 
period.  There  is  a  creamery  at  Ceres  and  a  model  ten 
thousand  dollar  creamery  at  Modesto,  with  skimming 
stations  here  and  there. 

"  Another  product  providing  a  read}'  and  early  source 
of  income  is  the  sweet  potato.  It  is  produced  to  perfection 
in  this  sandy  soil  and  by  aid  of  irrigation,  the  crop  matur- 
ing in  four  months.  The  yield  is  from  eighty  to  two  hun- 
dred sacks  to  the  acre,  commanding  an  average  price  of 
about  ninety-two  cents  per  sack.  Land  producing  sweet 
potatoes  is  invariably  choice  laud  for  peaches,  which  are 
always  in  demand  by  the  canneries  at  prices  affording  net 
profit  from  $75.00  to  $150.00  per  acre.  Melons,  beans, 
corn  and  like  products  also  yield  abundantly  on  this 
land." 

Stanislaus  has  a  population  of  between  ten  thousand 
and  eleven  thousand,  and  an  assessment  roll  of  $1,200,000, 
the  State  and  county  tax  for  the  seventeen  years  averages 
$1.38  cents  on  each  $100.00  assessed  valuation.  The 
county  has  neither  bonded  nor  floating  indebtedness. 

Next  south  of  Stanislaus  is  Merced,  a  little  to  the  county, 
north  of  the  geographical  center  of  California  on  either 
north  and  south  or  east  and  west  measurement.  It  is  a 
parallelogram  in  shape,  measuring  sixty  miles  from  the 
Sierra  to  the  Coast  Range,  and  forty  miles  from  the 
counties  of  Madera  and  Fresno  on  the  south  to  the  county 
of  Stanislaus  on  the  north.  It  has  a  total  area  of  2,600 
square  miles,  or  1,664,000  acres. 

The  western  edge  of  the  county  is   mountainous,  but  Growing  and 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  remainder  is  good,  level  land,  and  stock-raising, 
nearly  all  of  it  adapted  to  the  higher  forms  of  agriculture 
.  that  go  with  irrigation.     A  very  considerable  area  of  the 
county  is  taken  up  by  a  few  large  ranches,  whose  size  runs 


THE   SAN   JOAQUIN   VALLEY  93 

into  the  tens  of  thousands  of  acres.  These  are  used  chiefly 
for  the  production  of  grain  and  for  stock  raising.  One  by 
one,  however,  they  are  being  subdivided  and  placed 
on  the  market,  and  new  districts  are  opened  up  for  settle- 
ment. There  is  plenty  of  good  land  and  good  water  to  be 
had  in  Merced  county  at  fair  prices,  and  in  the  next  decade 
its  farming  population  is  likely  to  increase  to  two  or  three 
times  the  present  figures. 

The  San  Joaquin  river  flows  through  the  eastern  part  -^bandance 

"^        ^ ,  .  ,  .  ^  of  Water. 

of  Merced  county  in  a  stream,  which,  in  the  rainy  season, 
is  large  enough  to  admit  of  some  navigation.  Into  it  flow 
on  the  west  a  series  of  small  creeks :  Los  Banos,  Syca- 
more, San  Luis,  and  others  ;  and  on  the  east  there  are  the 
Merced  river,  a  large  volume  of  water,  the  Chowchilla 
river,  Bear  creek  and  the  Mariposa.  There  is  an  abun- 
dance of  water  for  present  use  and  enough  is  flowing  to 
waste  in  the  San  Joaquin  to  water  a  vast  area  which  is  now 
only  used  for  wheat.  The  soil  varies  in  different  sections 
of  the  county,  but  the  greater  part  of  it  is  a  sandy  loam  of 
great  depth. 

Wheat  is  still  the  largest  single  crop  of  the  county. 
Its  production  is  carried  on  in  the  wholesale  manner  that 
usually  prevails  in  the  San  Joaquin  valley.  Barley,  oats, 
and  corn  are  also  grown  in  quantities ;  the  first  of  them  is 
exported  chiefly  for  brewing  purposes  and  the  product 
raised  in  Merced  county  is  particularly  bright  and  free 
from  rust.  There  is  a  successful  creamery  in  operation 
near  the  town  of  Merced,  and  the  butter  which  is  shipped 
from  there  to  San  Francisco  commands  a  price  above  the 
market  average  for  its  superiority. 

One  unique  agricultural  feature  of  Merced  county  is  ^ 

^  ^  .         .  -^  Sweet  Potato 

the  growing  of  sweet  potatoes.  The  district  northwest  of  the  Region. 
town  of  Merced,  near  the  stations  of  Atwater  and  Batata, 
produces  about  two  hundred  carloads  of  the  vegetable 
annually,  and  the  "Merced  Sweets"  are  the  standard  of 
the  San  Francisco  market.  The  soil  of  this  region  seems 
to  be  particularly  adapted  to  them,  and  the  product  aver- 
ages fifteen  thousand  pounds  to  the  acre,  bringing  about  a 
cent  a  pound.     Plenty  of  instances  could  be  quoted  where 


Acres  of 
Insect 


94  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

they  have  yielded  the  grower  two  hundred  dollars  an  acre, 
although  the  average  is,  of  course,  much  lower. 

Another  unique  product  of  Merced  county  is  the 
Destroyer,  buhach,  from  which  insect  powder  is  manufactured  and 
sent  all  over  the  United  States.  Over  three  hundred  acres 
are  devoted  to  the  pyrethreum  plant,  as  it  is  called,  and 
the  business  is  said  to  be  .very  profitable.  The  town  of 
Merced,  the  county  seat,  contains  about  three  thousand 
population,  and  is  an  incorporated  city  of  the  sixth  class. 
It  is  one  hundred  and  forty-three  miles  from  San  Fran- 
cisco. Here  is  a  flouring  mill  with  a  capacity  of  one  hun- 
dred barrels  a  day,  two  electric  plants,  and  a  number  of 
shops  and  prosperous  stores.  People  are  wide-awake  and 
enterprising  and  have  a  Board  of  Trade,  which  is  at  work 
making  the  merits  of  the  county  widely  known.  Other 
towns  in  the  county  are  La  Grand,  Snelling,  Dos  Palos, 
Ivos  Banos,  and  Batata. 

Fresno's  Fresuo   couuty  is   located  in   the   center   of  the  San 

Position  and  -^ 

Area.  Joaquin  valley.  Fresno,  the  county  seat,  is  the  geograph- 
ical center  of  the  State.  The  boundaries  of  the  county 
extend  across  the  San  Joaquin  valley,  from  the  Coast 
Range  mountains  on  the  west  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  on  the  east.  The  county  contains  5,606  square 
miles  or  3,587,840  acres,  of  which  it  is  estimated  fully 
900,000  acres  are  tillable  soil.  The  census  of  1900  gave 
the  county  41,000  population  and  Fresno  city  now  (1903) 
has  a  population  of  about  20,000. 

Fresno  county  presents  a  great  variety  of  climatic 
conditions  and  soil.  It  is  divided  into  four  regions  ^ — ^the 
To  0  ra  h  f^othiU  regiou,  the  valley  region,  the  timber  or  forest 
and  Climate,  regiou,  and  the  region  of  snow  and  ice.  It  will  be  readily 
understood  that  with  such  a  variety  of  topographical  con- 
ditions a  corresponding  variety  of  climatic  condition  exists. 
The  yearly  seasons  are  two.  The  dry  season  usually 
begins  about  June  1st  and  lasts  until  about  the  1st  of  No- 
vember. The  average  rainfall  is  about  ten  inches.  There 
is  an  average  of  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  days  of  sun- 
shine in  the  year.     There  is  no  time  in  the  whole  year 


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Irrigation  and 
Production. 


96  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

that  men  and  teams  may  not  work  out  of  doors.  The 
extreme  summer  temperature  ranges  from  ninety  to  one 
hundred  and  ten  degrees,  but  the  atmosphere  is  very  dry 
and  the  heat  is  not  so  perceptible  as  in  localities  where 
there  is  a  humid  climate.  The  nights  are  nearly  always 
cool.  There  are  no  sunstrokes,  no  hail  storms.  The 
health  reports  show  that  Fresno  city  and  county  death 
rates  are  the  lowest  of  any  in  the  State. 

The  county  is  irrigated  mainly  from  the  Kings  river, 
which  rises  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  mountains  and  passes 
through  the  entire  farming  district,  though  there  are  other 
principal  sources  capable  of  large  development.  The  dis- 
tribution of  water  is  operated  by  splendid  irrigation  sys- 
tems, comprising  thousands  of  miles  of  main  and  branch 
distributing  canals,  supplying  an  abundance  of  water  at  a 
minimum  cost  of  62^  cents  to  a  maximum  of  75  cents 
per  acre  per  annum.  A  failure  of  crops  on  irrigated  land 
is  unknown.  The  principal  products  are:  cattle,  horses, 
sheep,  hogs,  hides,  wool  and  tallow,  lumber,  firewood, 
gold,  copper,  petroleum,  wheat,  barley,  oats,  rye,  corn, 
oranges,  lemons,  olives,  figs,  all  kinds  of  deciduous 
fruits,  table  grapes,  raisin  grapes,  dried  fruits,  raisins, 
wines  and  brandies,  butter,  cheese,  poultry,  eggs,  all 
kinds  of  garden  vegetables,  sweet  and  Irish  potatoes, 
tomatoes,  celery,  melons,  all  kinds  of  berries,  honey,  etc. 
There  are  1,194,900  deciduous  fruit  trees  in  the  county 
and  this  number  is  added  to  each  season.  There  are 
77,255  acres  of  vineyard  producing  wine  and  raisin  grapes. 
Fresno  Grazingf  and  foothill  lands  not  under  irrisfation  are 

Land  Values.  °  .  ^ 

obtainable  at  from  $5  to  $10  an  acre  and  gram  land  at  from 
$15  to  $25  an  acre.  Land  with  water,  suitable  for  alfalfa, 
fruit  and  vines,  at  from  $35  to  $75  an  acre.  First  class 
vineyards  in  full  bearing  command  from  $250  to  $350  per 
acre  ;  good  orchards  in  bearing  from  $150  to  $200  per. 
acre  ;  unimproved  citrus  lands  from  $50  to  $100  an  acre. 
Industries  of  Frcsuo  couutv  is  the  greatest  raisin  producing  district 

the  County.    .  1  1  a  t    1   •  •    •  •  •  i 

m  the  world.  Making  raisms  is  a  very  simple  process, 
and  one  that  any  intelligent  man  can  engage  in  success- 
fully with  the  information  that  is  always  to  be  had  from 


98   •  .  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

others  engaged  in  the  business.  Wine  grapes  are  also 
very  profitable.  They  require  less  handling  than  the  rais- 
ins, as  they  are  picked  and  carted  to  the  winery  at  once. 

Deciduous   trees   of  all    descriptions   thrive   and  the 
orchard  business  is  one  of  Fresno's  most  profitable  enter- 
prises. 
Olives,  Figs  The   fie:  in  Fresno  county  deserves  particular  men- 

Oranges  and  "  .... 

Lemons,  tiou,  as  there  is  no  other  locality  in  California  where  this 
fruit  will  do  as  well  or  where  so  much  has  been  done  in 
cultivating  and  improving  the  fruit.  As  the  result  of  the 
efforts  of  Mr.  George  C.  Roeding,  a  prominent  horticultu- 
rist, Fresno  now  produces  the  Smyrna  fig,  an  achieve- 
ment which  has  not  been  accomplished  anywhere  else  in 
America. 

Oranges  are  grown  successfully,  but  the  oldest  groves 
are  located  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  county,  at  the  base  of 
the  foothills.  The  citrus  fruits  of  this  district  have  re- 
peatedly taken  prizes  at  district  citrus  fairs.  State  fairs 
and  international  expositions.  The  advantages  that 
Fresno  claims  are  freedom  from  frost  and  certain  con- 
ditions of  soil  that  produce  a  superior  fruit,  but  the  chief 
advantage  is  the  fact  that  Fresno  county  oranges  ripen  and 
are  ready  for  market  about  November  1st,  thus  reaping  the 
benefit  of  the  early  high  prices  in  the  Eastern  markets. 
Orange  trees  begin  to  bear  the  fourth  year  after  planting. 
At  five  or  six  years  of  age  the  trees  should  bear  well  and 
yield  a  handsome  income.  Lemons  are  also  successfully 
grown. 
"^"Dair  *in*^  Alfalfa  grows  luxuriantly  and  is  the  basis  of  success 

Profits,  fjf  ii^Q  dairy  industry.  The  yield  from  an  alfalfa  field  is 
very  large.  The  hay  is  shipped  from  Fresno  in  large 
quantities  to  Southern  California  and  Arizona.  One 
acre  of  alfalfa  will  keep  a  cow  the  year  through.  Raising 
alfalfa  provides  the  surest  and  quickest  means  of  obtain- 
ing an  income,  and  dairying  is  one  of  the  most  attractive 
occupations,  as  it  provides  the  opportunity  to  raise  money 
during  the  time  required  for  trees  and  vines  to  come  into 
bearing.  Fresno  has  some  very  extensive  creameries  and 
these   have    established    skimming    stations   all   over  the 


100  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

county,  where  the  farmers  sell  their  cream.  To  an}/  think- 
ing man  who  knows  about  dairying,  these  conditions  sug- 
gest the  way  to  a  profitable  business.  The  late  Mr.  Mc- 
Nulty,  manager  of  the  San  Joaquin  Creamery,  said  in  an 
article  on  dairying  : 
Dairymen  "The  qucstiou  is  oftcH  asked,  '  does  dairying  pay?  ' 

s^y-  It  is  my  opinion  that  there  is  no  other  place  on  the  map 
of  the  world  where  one's  finger  can  be  placed  where  feed 
can  be  grown  so  abundantly  and  cheaply  as  in  the  San 
Joaquin  valley.  Alfalfa  is  pre-eminently  a  cow  feed,  and  the 
butter  produced  from  the  milk  of  alfalfa-fed  cows,  if  skill- 
fully and  scientifically  handled,  produces  a  texture  and  a 
flavor  that  cannot  be  surpassed." 

The  manager  of  the  Danish  Creamery,  Mr.  Murphy, 
says  the  average  amount  paid  for  butter  fat  is  $55  to  $60 
per  cow  annually.  This  is  exclusive  of  the  value  of  the 
calf  and  the  skim  milk.  Another  Fresno  county  dairy- 
man says  :  "  I  milked  last  year  an  average  of  forty-three 
cows  per  month  ;  sold  during  that  time  butter  fat  to  the 
amount  of  $55.93  per  each  cow;  also  raised  and  sold  calves 
and  hogs  to  the  amount  of  $19.71  per  each  cow,  making 
the  total  earnings  of  each  cow  for  the  year,  $76.65." 

All  kinds  of  cereals  are  successfully  grown  in  Fresno 
county  without  irrigation.  The  area  sown  to  wheat  and 
barley  is  335,981  acres  annually.  The  gross  value  of 
cereals,  alfalfa,  hay,  wine  and  raisins  aggregated  for  1902 
$8,749,958. 
Poultry,  Eggs  Poultry  farming  is   a   source   of   large    profit  to  the 

and  Melons.  .  o        r^ 

farmer.  There  is  always  a  good  market  for  eggs  and 
chickens.  Honey  is  another  source  of  profit.  Alfalfa 
honey  is  very  fine  and  ranks  with  the  clover  honey  of  the 
East.  Vegetables,  small  fruits  and  berry  farming  are 
other  means  by  which  the  farmer  may  easily  add  largely  to 
his  income. 
Cattle,  Hogs  Cattle,  hogs  and  sheep  are  all  raised  in  large  numbers 

and  Sheep.  »  cs  r      ^  a 

for  both  home  use  and  for  shipment.  In  fact,  so  favorable 
are  the  conditions  for  this  business  in  Fresno  that 
thousands  of  cattle  are  brought  from  Arizona  and  coast 
districts  to  the  pastures  of  Fresno  county,  where  they  are 


Minerals  and 
Lumber. 


Oil  in  Fresno. 


102  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

fattened  for  the  markets  of  San  Francisco  and  elsewhere. 
Hogs  are  a  source  of  great  profit,  both  to  the  large  stock- 
grower,  the  small  farmer  and  the  dairyman. 

The  mountains  in  the  eastern  part  of  Fresno  county 
are  vast  storehouses  of  wealth.  Almost  every  known 
mineral  is  to  be  found,  and  while  some  few  mines  are 
worked  this  great  region  of  mineral  wealth  is  practically 
not  exploited  at  all.X  In  the  mountain  region  are  the  great 
forests  from  which  vast  quantities  of  lumber  are  made 
annually.  This  includes  yellow  and  sugar  pine,  cedar, 
fir  and  redwood.  Some  of  the  trees  from  which  this  is  cut 
are  the  largest  in  the  world,  being  the  Sequoia  Gigantea^ 
measuring  over  one  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  y 

Fresno  county  is  a  large  producer  of  petroleum.  The 
wells  are  located  in  the  southwestern  part  of  the  county, 
in  the  vicinity  of  Coalinga.  The  district  comprises  some 
wells  that  are  among  the  best  in  the  State.  This  supply 
of  oil  for  fuel  so  near  to  Fresno  is  a  very  great  advantage. 
It  means  close  at  hand  cheap  fuel  for  all  purposes. 

Among  the  manufacturing  and  commercial  enterprises 
of  Fresno  county  the  packing  houses,  annually  handling 
thousands  of  tons  of  fruits  and  raisins  are  easily  first  in 
importance.  Recent  inventions  for  extracting  seeds  from 
raisins  have  enormously  increased  the  consumption  and 
the  industry  gives  employment  to  thousands  of  men, 
women  and  children.  The  wineries  are  being  largely  aug- 
mented and  are  among  the  finest  and  most  extensive  in 
the  country.  There  are  also  flouring  mills,  ice  factories, 
creameries,  cream  of  tartar  works,  agricultural  implement 
and  box  factories,  canneries,  a  brewery,  planing  mills, 
sash  and  door  factories,  soap  factory,  macaroni  factory, 
brick  and  tile  works,  oil  refineries,  etc. 
Fresno's  '^\i^  pubHc  school   system  of  Fresno  is  unexcelled. 

Schools.  ^  -^  .  .,  ^^      ■ 

The  buildings  are  modern  and  well  equipped.  The 
Fresno  City  High  School  is  one  of  the  most  imposing 
structures  of  its  kind  in  California.  There  are  seven 
High  Schools  in  the  county,  two  of  which  stand  upon  the 
accredited  list  of  the  State  University  and  pupils  are 
graduated  and  prepared  for  collegiate  course. 


Manufactur- 
ing Interests. 


104  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

"^^^fIHw  '^^^  ^'^^y  °^  Fresno  ranks  third  in   shipping  import- 

ance in  California.  It  is  the  metropolis  and  business 
center  of  the  San  Joaquin  Valley  and  the  natural  gravitat- 
ing point  for  the  production  and  commercial  energy  of  a 
great  and  enormously  productive  country.  It  is  a  rail- 
road center,  eight  lines  radiating  from  it.  Fresno  city 
and  most  of  the  principal  towns  of  the  county  are  on  the 
two  transcontinental  railroads,  the  Southern  Pacific  and 
the  Santa  Fe,  which  furnish  the  best  facilities  for  trans- 
portation and  for  shipping. 

i^ogresl^  In  addition  to  the    advantages  named,  the  city  has  an 

opera  house,  good  churches,  five  banks,  a  county  court- 
house costing  over  $200,000,  a  new  $30,000  library,  the 
gift  of  Andrew  Carnegie,  and  Congress  during  the  last 
session  appropriated  $150,000  for  a  federal  building. 
There  is  marked  activity  in  building.  A  large  number  of 
new  business  blocks  and  fine  residences  have  been  built 
and  are  constantly  in  course  of  erection.  A  great  deal  of 
substantial  street  improvement  is  being  done  and  pave- 
ments and  cement  sidewalks  extend  in  every  direction. 
One  of  the  greatest  marks  of  progress  during  the  past 
year  has  been  the  building  of  a  system  of  electric  cars. 
It  serves  not  only  the  city  of  Fresno  but  extends  into  the 
more  populous  suburban  localities  and  is  being  extended 
to  the  mountain  regions.  The  city  has  a  good  sewerage 
system,  well  paved  streets,  good  fire  department,  gas, 
electricity,    good  water,    and  an    efficient    postal  service. 

The  city's  In  fact,  Fresno  is  a  first-class  modern  city.  It  promises 
much  for  the  future.  Fresno's  trade  is  on  the  increase 
constantly.  It  occupies  the  center  of  a  locality  which 
produces  enormous  quantities  of  readily  saleable  com- 
modities. All  of  the  conditions  for  manufacturing  are 
close  at  hand— cheap  fuel,  cheap  power,  and  unlimited 
possibilities  for  the  production  of  raw  material  of  almost 
every  kind.  The  great  need  of  the  city  and  county  is 
population  —  pe3ple  who  are  willing  to  work,  who  will 
take  advantage  of  the  natural  conditions  waiting  to  be 
utilized  for  the  benefit  of  mankind. 


THE   SAN   JOAQUIN   VALLEY  105 

Up  in  eastern  Kern  is  a  curious  settlement  of  BMqur^**"^ 
Basque  sheep-herders,  roaming  the  steep  slopes  and  coiony. 
canyons,  guarding  their  flocks  and  living  in  a  primi- 
tive wildness  suggestive  of  the  rugged  conditions  that 
prevail  in  their  native  Pyrenees.  And  this  adapta- 
bility of  the  old  world  resident  to  the  new  world  is 
one  of  the  alluring  attractions  as  well  as  one  of  the 
novelties  of  all  California.  The  observing  traveler 
finds  stowed  away  in  some  inviting  nook,  anywhere  from 
Mendocino  to  San  Bernardino,  natives  of  far-away  lands, 
who  have  come  here  simply  because  of  the  charms  that 
Nature  offers,  comfort  and  happy  living.  In  few  other 
States  is  there  to  be  noted  the  wide  diversity  in  this 
respect.  In  Kansas,  Nebraska  and  the  Middle  West  one 
finds  communities  made  up  almost  entirely  of  Germans, 
Swedes,  or  transplanted  Kentuckians  or  Ohioans.  All 
these  and  more  does  California  harbor;  to  all  these  and 
more  does  the  State  extend  the  open  arms  of  welcome. 
Industry  and  law-abiding  are  the  only  price  to  pay  for 
making  a  home  in  this  region  of  all  regions  where  sun 
is  king. 

In  Tulare  county,  on  the  foothill  branch  of  the  South-  oranges  of 

,  .  ,  Tulare. 

ern  Pacific,  is  the  orange-growing  section  heretofore  re- 
ferred to  and  of  which  Porterville  is  the  central  shipping 
point.  Here  are  more  than  6,000  acres  planted  in  the  best 
varieties  of  oranges  and  the  shipments  to  eastern  markets 
are  increasing  rapidly.  The  county  seat  is  Visalia,  a 
picturesque  city  in  the  foothills  and  the  center  of  a  fer- 
tile and  attractive  region.  In  Tulare  county  is  located 
the  Sequoia  National  Park,  a  reserve  of  monster  trees  of 
the  sequoia  gigantea.  Just  beyond  the  county's  eastern 
boundary,  Mt.  Whitney  (14,898  feet),  the  highest  moun- 
tain in  the  United  States,  excluding  Alaska,  rears  its 
snow-capped  summit. 

In    Kern    county,    the    southern-most  county  of  the  Kem  county 
valley,  are  the  wells  of  crude  petroleum  that  recently  have 
drawn  to  this  section  investors  and  speculators  from  every- 
where.    The    product   is    being   shipped   throughout  the 
United  States  and  is  proving  a  bonanza  for  all  concerned. 


THE  SAN  JOAQUIN  VALLEY  107 

The  Kern  river  district  is  the  most  productive  of  all  the 
oil  fields  in  the  county.  The  other  producing  districts 
are  the  Sunset,  McKittrick  and  Midway.  Because  of  the 
valuation  made  by  the  discovery  of  oil,  land  values  rose  in 
this  district  from  $1.25  an  acre  to  four,  five  and  even  ten  Th«Kern 

^  '  ^  Kiver 

thousand  dollars  an  acre.  The  Kern  delta  is  a  vast  estate  oeita. 
of  400,000  acres,  which  is  under  a  system  of  irrigation 
remarkable  for  its  simplicity.  Nature  has  done  everything 
possible  to  make  Kern  river  an  ideal  stream  from  which  to 
divert  water  into  artificial  channels  at  minimum  expense. 
Large  areas  are  being  annually  added  to  the  irrigable  terri- 
tory. The  county  contains  many  artesian  wells.  Kern 
river  is  said  to  contain  minerals  which  have  a  wonderful 
fertilizing  effect.  The  Kern  river  is  the  source  of  power 
for  an  electric  generating  plant,  from  which  power  is  trans- 
mitted to  Bakersfield  and  Kern  City  for  illumination,  fac- 
tories and  the  operation  of  a  street  railway  two  miles  in 
length,  connecting  the  two  places. 

In  the  classification  of  the  counties  of  California,  the  «ioh footMii 

'  and  Moantain 

foothill  and  mountain  counties  of  Mariposa,  Tuolumne,  counties 
Amador,  and  Calaveras,  whose  watershed  is  toward  the 
west,  are  naturally  included  in  the  great  San  Joaquin  val- 
ley. Of  Amador,  Calaveras  and  Tuolumne  readers  from 
far  away  have  heard  much  in  the  romances  of  Bret  Harte, 
for  here  are  located  the  picturesque  old  mining  towns  of 
Angels,  San  Andreas,  Douglas  Flat,  Dry  Town,  Moke- 
lumne  Hill,  Copperopolis,  Poverty  Flat,  and  other  settle- 
ments as  rich  in  nomenclature  as  they  were  once  and  are 
still  in  gold.  But  there  is  more  than  romance  about  these 
regions  of  Sierra  pine  and  red  soil  and  granite  bedrock. 
Here  is  the  vast  region  of  the  Mother  Lode  from  which 
countless  millions  in  gold  have  been  taken,  and  in  which 
millions  more  remain  to  make  the  fortune  of  the  prospec- 
tor and  investor.  All  through  this  section  are  rich  mines 
with  big  outputs,  and  mining  improvement  and  develop- 
ment is  going  on  constantly. 

Jointly  in  Mariposa,  Tuolumne  and    Madera  counties  i'ot*»e 

Yosemlte. 

is  located  the   Yoseraite   National  reserve,    the  Yosemite 
valle^'-,     that   world   wonder    being  located    in    Mariposa 


THE   SAN   JOAQUIN    VALLEY  109 

county.  To  reach  the  valley  are  several  different  routes, 
the  principal  one  being  by  way  of  Raymond  and  Wawona, 
by  Oakdale  and  Jamestown,  and  by  way  of  Big  Oak  Flat. 
A  railroad  has  been  projected  to  the  boundaries  of  the 
great  national  park,  and  this  means  great  things  for  the 
progress  of  Mariposa  county.  The  soil  is  fertile  and 
beneath  the  soil  is  gold,  which  miners  have  been  working 
since  the  earliest  days  of  the  California  gold  excitement.  ;^'^/>:PPie 

•^  "  Raising 

Up  on  these  mountain  slopes  are  orchards  of  apples  that  Region. 
have  won  fame  for  the  quality  which  is  given  by  the 
climatic  conditions  here.  The  mountains  are  covered 
with  magnificent  forests  of  sugar  pine.  Lumbering  and 
mining  and  fruit  raising  constitute  principal  industries. 
.  There  is  no  space  to  describe  the  marvels  of  the  great 
Yosemite,  that  gorge  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  which  awe- 
inspired  tourists  come  time  and  again  and  always  parting 
with  the  feeling  of  impressed  grandeur  caused  by  their 
better  acquaintance  with  this  marvel  of  Nature's  handi- 
work. 

Through  the  San  Joaquin  valley  north  to  south  with  R^iiroa^ 

<^        ^  J        ^  J  Present  and 

many  branching  lines  run  the  overland  routes  of  the  Planned. 
Southern  Pacific  and  Santa  Fe  railroads.  Here  also  is  the 
Sierra  Railway  running  up  into  the  mountains,  and  vari- 
ous lines  of  stages  traverse  the  country,  making  easy 
easy  access  to  all  points.  From  Bakersfield  to  the  sea  at 
San  Luis  Obispo  or  near  there  is  projected  the  Midland 
Pacific  Railway, Iwhose  promoters  promise  a  speedy  comple- 
tion of  a  line  which  will  afford  the  south  San  Joaquin  val- 
ley a  sea  outlet.  Through  the  valley  run  many  trains  daily 
both  local  and  through,  and  both  transcontinental  lines 
are  eagerly  competing  for  the  vast  growing  trade  of  this 
prosperous  region. 


CHAPTER  V. 

COAST  COUNTIES  NORTH  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO.  Beautiful  Valleys  of 
Napa  and  Sonoma — Vineyards  and  Wine  Cellars — Last  of  the  Old  Mis- 
sions— Petrified  Forest — Cities  of  Santa  Rosa  and  Napa — Lake,  the 
Switzerland  of  California — Redwood  Timber  Forests  of  Mendocino,  Hum- 
boldt, and  Del  Norte — Rich  Mines  of  Trinity — Marin  and  Its  Sky-seek- 
ing Railway — Summer  and  Winter  Resorts  and  Mineral  Springs — Traces 
of  Russian  Occupation — Sportsmen's  Paradise  in  the  Eel  River  Country 
— Progressive  Eureka  and  its  Future — Sheep  and  Cattle  Raising — The 
Largest  Wine  Tank  in  the  World. 


Now  in  midwinter^  see  !  the  buds  unfold ; 

The  yellow  poppies  open  one  by  one  ; 
The  mountain  streams,  bound  by  no  despot  cold. 

Flash  through  the  woods,  rejoicing  as  they  run. 
A  most  fair  land :  it  is  the  land  of  gold  ; 

It  is  the  land  of  pleasure  and  the  sun . 

— Flora  Mcdonald  Shearer. 


AS  the  State  increases  in  population  the  large  coast 
region  north  of  San  Francisco  must  grow  steadily, 
for  its  resources  are  the  marvel  of  all  visitors. 
Here  is  a  region  of  vast  area,  of  unfailing  rainfall,  well 
supplied  with  timber,  rich  in  minerals,  with  thousands 
of  sheltered  valleys  and  yet  with  population  comparatively 
small.  More  railroads  and  more  people  are  needed  for  de- 
velopment. The  Southern  Pacific,  California  Northwest- 
ern, the  North  Shore,  all  have  lines  which  pass  through 
this  rich  and  growing  territory.  The  forests  of  Del  Norte, 
Humboldt  and  Mendocino  and  the  rich  mines  of  Trinity 
are  the  primary  objects  for  railway  extension,  but  fruit- 
growing, wine-making,  hops,  grain,  alfalfa,  cattle,  and  the 
thousand  and  one  agricultural  and  horticultural  indus- 
tries must  grow  up  and  thrive  on  a  scale  unimagined 
at  present.  The  harbors  of  Hureka  and  Crescent  City 
are  excellent.  The  fleet  vessels  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
Steamship  Company  now  ply  between  them  and  San 
Francisco. 


112  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

vaueyso*!  ^f  this  group  of  couiities,  Marin,  Sonoma  and  Napa 
the  State,  have  been  settled  the  longest  and  have  characteristics 
somewhat  similar.  Sonoma  and  Napa  are  the  vineyard 
valleys  of  the  State.  The  population  of  Sonoma  ranks  sixth 
among  the  counties.  Of  the  25,000,000  gallons  of  dry 
wines  produced  by  the  State  last  year  (1902),  Sonoma 
county  alone  produced  considerably  more  than  half.  The 
hill-sides  as  Avell  as  valleys  in  this  section  are  especially 
adapted  to  vine-growing.  These  wines,  like  all  California 
wines,  have  been  slowly  winning  their  way  to  a  place  in 
the  high  estimation  of  connoisseurs  and  have  secured 
many  awards  at  the  great  world's  expositions.  Within 
the  past  two  years  the  wine-making  industry  has  received 
a  new  stimulus  and  to-day  vast  areas  of  hillside  and  valley 
are  being  cleared  and  planted  with  the  choicest  varieties  of 
vines. 

Surface  Wine  St.  Helena  iu  the  upper  end  of  the  Napa  valley  boasts 
Cellar.  ^^^  largest  surface  stone  wine  cellar  in  the  world,  known 
as  the  Greystone,  having  a  capacity  of  over  3,000,000  gal- 
lons. The  building  is  three  hundred  feet  long,  one  hundred 
feet  in  depth,  and  four  stories  in  height,  with  several  con- 
necting tunnels  extending  far  back  into  the  hillside. 
Around  this  section  are  many  other  vineyards,  nearly  all 
with  cellars  constructed  on  the  tunnel  plan,  the  soft  vol- 
canic rock  being  readily  tunneled.  These  cellars  are 
modeled  after  those  of  the  Old  World  and  are  especially 
valuable  for  ageing  wines. 

A       Near  St.  Helena  is  Howell  mountain,  a  famous  vineyard 

Vineyard    _., 

District,  district  noted  for  the  fine  character  of  the  soil,  peculiarly 
adapted  to  producing  grapes  that  make  wine  of  high-class, 
delicate  flavor.  This  Howell  mountain  plateau  is  gaining 
wide  fame  as  a  sanitarium  for  the  relief  of  lung  and  throat 
troubles.  The  plateau  is  covered  with  balsam  fir  and  pine 
trees  and  the  air  the  year  round  is  dry,  warm  and  delight- 
ful. A  short  distance  from  St.  Helena  is  a  sanitarium,  a 
branch  of  the  famous  sanitarium  at  Battle  Creek,  Michi- 
gan, where  a  large  business  is  done  in  the  manufacture  of 
health  foods. 


114  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

Many  Acres  in       Around  St.  Helena  and  other  points  in  the  Upper  Napa 

vines  andin  ..,--.      -^"^  ,      ^ 

Olives,  valley,  oranges  and  lemons  thrive  well  and  ripen  early  as 
well  as  figs,  almonds,  olives,  prunes,  peaches  and  nearly 
all  varieties  of  fruit.  The  wine  made  in  1858  in  Napa 
county  was  the  real  beginning  of  the  viticultural  in- 
dustry in  California.  It  was  at  once  recognized  that  in 
Napa  county  all  the  climatic  and  soil  conditions  combined 
to  make  the  culture  of  wine  grapes  successful.  A  vineyard 
on  resistant  stock  will  yield  each  season  from  three  to 
eight  tons  of  grapes  to  the  acre,  which  at  present  prices 
will  bring  from  $1  75  to  $200.  Wine  is  selling  at  from 
twenty  to  twenty-seven  cents  per  gallon,  in  large  quanti- 
ties, making  the  industry  exceedingly  profitable.  The 
culture  of  the  olive  pays  in  Napa  valley,  and  no  finer 
brand  of  olive  oil  or  pickled  olives  can  be  found  than  that 
put  upon  the  market  by  Napa  producers.  From  five  acres 
of  ten-year-old  trees,  Mr.  Vincent  Smith  (whose  olive 
grove  is  three  and  a  half  miles  from  the  city  of  Napa) 
last  season  gathered  four  tons  of  olives,  worth  $50  per  ton 
in  the  open  market.  Nut-bearing  trees  are  on  the  in- 
crease, and  almonds  and  English  walnuts  are  sure  and 
profitable  crops. 
At  Napa,  the       ^  notable  feature  of  Napa  county  is  its  stone  bridges 

County  Seat.  ^  •'  " 

and  culverts.  Over  $70,000  have  thus  far  been  expended 
in  this  one  county  in  making  these  enduring  and  neces- 
sary monuments.  One  bridge  alone  across  Putah  creek 
in  Berryessa  valley  cost  over  $19,000.  Around  Napa,  the 
county  seat  and  a  thriving  modern  city,  are  many  private 
schools,  and  in  this  section  of  the  county  are  a  large  num- 
ber of  manufacturers.  Just  below  Napa  is  an  elaborate 
plant  for  the  manufacture  of  cement  from  native  rock,  and 
in  the  city  are  glove  and  shoe  factories,  canneries  and 
wineries.  A  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  runs  through 
the  entire  length  of  the  Napa  valley.  The  city  of  Napa 
is  on  Napa  creek,  which  is  navigable  for  small  steamers 
whicli  ply  between  here  and  San  Francisco. 
TheBohemian  A  short  distance  above  Guerneville  on  the  Russian 
river  is  Bohemia  Grove,  the  summer  outpost  of  San 
Francisco's  Bohemian  Club,  an  organization  of  artists  and 


THE   NORTH   COAST   COUNTIES  .  115 

writers  widely  known  for  the  work  done  by  its  members 
in  creative  lines.  The  club  is  the  only  club  in  the  world 
which  owns  a  grove  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  acres  of  red- 
wood trees,  and  here  for  several  weeks  in  the  summer  the 
members  gather,  Druid-like,  and  join  in  revels  and  worship 
beneath  these  forest  veterans,  whose  growth  began  when 
Carthage  was  a  world  power.  These  midsummer  gather- 
ings draw  visitors  of  kindred  minds  from  faraway  points, 
and  they  go  away  telling  not  only  of  the  revels  but  of  the 
wonderful  climatic  surroundings  and  the  comfort  of  sleep- 
ing under  the  trees  in  the  open  air. 

In  Sonoma  is  prosperous  Healdsburg,  and  the  progres-  liounSiing 
sive  towns  of  Cloverdale  and  Geyserville.  Near  Cloverdale  Towns, 
is  the  largest  orange  grove  in  the  county.  Healdsburg  is 
in  the  foothills  at  the  base  of  Fitch  mountain  and  in  the 
beautiful  Sotoyome  valley  (valley  of  flowers),  with  the 
Russian  river  flowing  at  the  outskirts  of  the  corporation 
limits  on  the  east  and  south  and  the  evergreen  Coast  range 
hills  rising  to  the  west.  It  derived  its  name  from  Harmon 
G.  Heald,  who  built  the  first  house  and  opened  the  first 
store  in  1855.  The  town  is  on  the  line  of  the  California 
Northwestern  railway,  sixty-six  miles  a  little  west  of 
north  from  San  Francisco,  twenty  miles  from  the  ocean  in 
direct  line  and  sixteen  miles  from  Santa  Rosa,  the  county 
seat.  Healdsburg  is  an  incorporated  city  and  contains 
several  mills  and  factories.  Within  five  miles  there  are 
5,000  people.  An  important  feature  of  Healdsburg  is  the 
municipal  ownership  of  its  electric  light,  power  and  water 
system.  A  storage  reservoir  in  the  hills  supplies  water  to 
operate  a  200  horse-power  Pelton  wheel  for  generating 
power.  A  transmission  line  eight  and  three-quarter  miles 
long  conveys  the  power  to  the  city. 

Cloverdale  has  recently  been  supplied  with  an  electric  po°Jer."^"'^ 
light  and  power  plant,  by  a  company  organized  by  A.  Sbar- 
boro,  its  president.  The  water  is  taken  from  Sulphur 
creek  and  delivered  through  a  flume  four  feet  square  to  a 
modern  power  house  near  the  mouth  of  the  Russian  river, 
with  a  fall  of  300  feet.  The  plant  will  supply  light  and 
power  to  Cloverdale   and  surrounding  country — Preston, 


THE   NORTH   COAST   COUNTIES  117 

Italian-Swiss  Colony  at  Asti,  Geyserville  and  the  shortage 
required  by  Healdsburg, 

At  the  head  of  Napa  valley  with  its  slopes  running  to  ^^^^^^^^ 
Lake,  Napa  and  Sonoma  counties,  is  Mount  St.  Helena,  suverado. 
4443  feet  high,  known  in  Spanish  as  Silverado  and  made 
famous  in  story  by  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  who  lived 
here  for  a  time  before  taking  up  his  permanent  residence 
in  Samoa.  Russia  was  once  anxious  to  keep  its  hold  in 
Northern  California,  and  St.  Helena  is  an  enduring  monu- 
ment of  the  aggressive  ambition  and  skillful  diplomacy  of 
that  powerful  nation.  Just  before  their  departure  from 
Ross,  the  Russian  settlement  on  the  coast  of  Sonoma,  in 
1841,  Wossenessky,  a  naturalist,  ascended  the  mountain, 
attached  a  lead  plate  to  its  summit  bearing  the  day 
and  date  of  the  ascent  and  the  name  Helena  which  he 
bestowed  upon  the  mountain  in  honor  of  his  Imperial 
mistress,  the  Empress  of  Russia,  thus  marking  the  end  of 
an  unequalled  march  of  conquest  and  colonization  extend- 
ing from  the  Ural  Mountains  in  European  Asia  through 
Siberia  to  Alaska  and  thence  to  the  northwest  coast  of 
California. 

In  the  mountain  ranges  around  Mount  St.  Helena  are 
numerous  deposits  of  quicksilver  and  one  of  the  best  pro- 
ducing mines  of  the  State  is  located  near  Calistoga. 
Around  here  also  are  numerous  mineral  springs  and 
health  resorts. 


The'county  seat  of  Sonoma  county,  Santa  Rosa,  is  one 


Santa  Rosa 
and 


of  the  attractive  cities  of  the  State,  with  electric  lights  and  surroundings, 
all  modern  improvements.  The  city  is  reached  by  two 
railroad  lines,  the  Southern  Pacific  and  the  California 
Northwestern,  the  latter  line  extending  far  beyond  to  its 
terminus  at  Willitts  in  Mendocino  county.  All  about 
Santa  Rosa  are  fruitful  orchards,  productive  vineyards, 
and  fertile  fields.  Olives,  oranges,  prunes  and  all  fruits 
bear  abundantly.  Below  Santa  Rosa  is  old  Sonoma,  the 
oldest  town  in  the  county,  where  the  Bear  Flag  was 
raised  in  1849,  and  the  site  of  one  of  the  chain  of  mis- 
sions established  by  the  padres  of  old  Spain,  extending 


118  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

at  intervals   of  a  day's  journey  up  the   California  coast 
from  Mexico. 

^"so^noma^  It  is  claimed  by  Sonoma  that  it  is  the  most  diversified 

in  its  products  of  all  the  counties  of  the  State.  Its  super- 
ficial area  is  one  million  acres.  It  is  bounded  on  the  south 
by  the  bay  of  San  Francisco,  on  the  west  by  the  Pacific 
ocean,  on  the  north  by  Mendocino  county,  and  on  the 
east  by  the  Mayacmas  range  of  mountains.  At  least  half 
the  area  of  the  county  is  valley  or  foothill  land."  In  the 
foothills  are  tracts  of  alluvial  soil  which  equal  the  valleys 
in  fertility;  they  are  warmer,  drier  and  better  for  many 
purposes  than  valley  lands.  The  finest  wine  grapes,  cit- 
rus fruits,  olives,  apples  and  nuts  are  grown  in  the  foot- 
hills. Of  the  land  suited  for  the  growth  of  staple  crops, 
grapes,  olives,  fruit  and  berries,  not  one-half  is  under 
cultivation,  leaving  a  vast  field  for  future  development. 

The  population  of  the  county  is  over  forty  thousand, 
mostly  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits.  Its  assessed 
wealth  is  $29,000,000.  Its  annual  production  of  wealth 
from  the  soil  is  $7,500,000.  This  is  one  hundred  and 
seventy-five  dollars  per  capita  for  every  inhabitant,  includ- 
ing women,  children  and  all  other  non-producers.  Or  to 
put  it  another  way,  it  is  nine  hundred  dollars  a  year  for 
every  registered  voter  in  the  county.  The  view  of  the 
great  central  valley  about  Santa  Rosa,  especially  from  the 
coast  hills  opposite  its  background  of  encircling  mountains 
is  of  vast  extent  and  beauty. 

'°*^mdge  J^s^  w^s^  ^f  S^^t^  ^^s^  is  t^^  ^^^^  Ridge  country, 

Country,  where  the  best  of  apples,  berries,  stone  and  seed  fruits  are 
grown.  It  is  fifteen  miles  in  length  by  a  width  of  six 
miles,  and  is  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  Santa 
Rosa  valley,  which  it  parallels  and  bounds  for  fifteen 
miles  on  the  west.  Its  soil  is  a  rich  sandy  loam,  appar- 
ently of  marine  origin,  naturally  drained  and  easily  culti-  ' 
vated.  Apples  are  a  very  profitable  crop  on  this  fruit  ridge. 
They  produce  with  proper  care  and  culture  forty  boxes  to 
the  tree,  worth  from  thirty-five  to  seventy-five  cents  a  box. 
There  are  eighty  trees  on  an  acre.  The  yield  is  readily 
figured,  and  runs  into  hundreds  of  dollars  per  acre.   Prunes 


120  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

yield  from  one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  dollars 
per  acre,  and  berries  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  per 
acre.  The  experimental  farm  of  Luther  Burbank,  the 
wizard  of  horticulture,  is  on  this  ridge,  though  his  home 
is  in  Santa  Rosa. 

ooionTNear  Three   of  the   largest    wineries    in   the  State  are   in 

cloverdaie.  Souoma  couuty,  two  of  which  are  in  or  near  Santa  Rosa. 
They  have  made  the  wines  of  Sonoma  as  famous  as  the  Fal- 
ernian  of  ancient,  or  the  Chianti  of  modern  Italy.  The 
Italian-Swiss  Colony  has  its  principal  vineyard  near 
Cloverdaie.  During  the  vintage  of  1902  the  colony 
crushed  in  its  different  wineries  40,000  tons  of  grapes, 
producing  over  six  million  gallons  of  wine  and  brandy. 
The  colony's  trade  has  extended  all  over  the  world.  The 
colony  which  commenced  in  1881  with  no  capital  but  the  in- 
come being  derived  from  the  sale  of  2,250  shares  of  stock 
payable  by  monthly  installments,  now  has  several  vineyards 
and  wineries  in  different  parts  of  the  State,  with  a  total 
capacity  for  production  and  storage   of  11,500,000  gallons. 

'^°'?5T  ^^  Asti  near  Cloverdaie,  on  the  colony  property,  is  the 

the.  World,  largest  wine  tank  in  the  world.  This  tank  was  built  after 
the  adage  that  "  Necessity  is  the  mother  of  invention." 
In  1897  the  grape  crop  in  California  was  larger  than  any 
previous  year;  vintage  was  nearly  at  hand  and  it  was  too 
late  for  the  colony  to  have  tanks  built  in  which  to,  store 
the  wine  that  was  to  be  made  from  this  enormous  crop  of 
grapes.  In  the  rear  of  the  winery  there  existed  a  hill  of 
rocky  formation.  The  secretary  of  the  company,  Mr.  Sbar- 
boro,  conceived  the  idea  that  a  hole  could  be  dug  in  this 
hill  and  a  reservoir  made  to  hold  the  surplus  quantity  of 
wine,  and  immediately  set  to  work  on  the  project.  Some 
of  his  colleagues  hesitated  to  do  the  work  for  fear  that  the 
reservoir  might  leak  and  thus  cause  an  enormous  loss, 
but  after  considerable  argument,  he  convinced  them  that 
by  building  a  concrete  wall  two  feet  thick  all  around  the 
inside,  putting  also  a  concrete  floor  a  foot  thick  and  a  con- 
crete top  all  hermetically  sealed,  that  there  could  be  no 
danger  of  any  leakage. 

It  required  forty -five  days  and  nights  to  build  the  tank, 


THE   NORTH   COAST   COUNTIES  121 

fifty  men  and  twenty-five  teams  being  employed  for  that 
purpose.  When  the  tank  was  first  filled,  tests  were  made 
daily  through  an  air  pipe  to  see  if  any  leakage  took  place, 
but  it  was  perfectly  tight.  It  took  two  steam  pumps  seven 
days  to  raise  the  wine  and  fill  the  tank. 

After  leaving  the  first  wine  in  the  tank  ninety  days  it  ^„_^ 

°  .         .  ,  J'  J  500,000  Gallon 

was  withdrawn  and  distributed  into  twenty-five  thousand  wine  Tank, 
and  forty  thousand  gallon  wooden  tanks  in  the  cellar  be- 
low through  a  four-inch  galvanized  iron  pipe  reaching  the 
bottom  of  the  tank  through  a  tunnel  six  feet  high  and  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  Shortly  after  the  tank  had 
been  emptied  two  hundred  citizens  of  San  Francisco  with 
their  wives  and  daughters  were  invited  by  the  colony  to 
have  a  ball  inside  this  tank — the  first  event  of  the  kind  in 
history — and  it  proved  a  great  success.  The  tank  is 
eighty-four  feet  long  and  thirty  feet  wide  and  twenty-five 
feet  high  in  the  clear,  and  contains  a  fraction  over  500,000 
gallons  of  wine. 

A.  Sbarboro,  one  of  the  officers  of  the  Italian-Swiss 
Colony,  and  also  a  director  of  the  Promotion  Committee, 
in  writing  to  an  inquirer  recently,  says: 

''  I  beg  to  call  your  attention  in  reference  to  the  sur- 
rounding country  of  Cloverdale,  that  I  have  recently  visited 
the  Riviera,  which  is  the  garden  spot  of  Europe,  and  that 
I  have  looked  in  vain  to  find  any  shrub,  flower,  tree  or 
plant  that  is  not  growing  at  my  villa  site,  four  miles  south  ciimate  Like 
of  Cloverdale.  I  am  sorry  that  you  have  been  unable  to 
visit  the  citrus  fair  at  Cloverdale  which  would  have  dem- 
onstrated to  you  what  we  can  do  in  the  northern  part  of 
Sonoma  county.  No  better  showing  could  have  been 
made  at  Riverside,  Sicily  or  any  other  part  of  the  world." 

The  cultivation  of  the  olive  and  manufacture  of  its  pro- 
ducts, is  an  interesting  industry  in  Sonoma  It  now  has 
over  150,000  trees,  mostly  in  bearing.  Olive  oil  made  in 
Sonoma  county  took  a  gold  medal  at  the  Paris  Exhibition 
and  the  first  prize  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago. 

There  is  a  considerable  quicksilver  production  in  So- 
noma. One  mine  near  Guerneville  has  bsen  successfully 
worked   for  twenty  years,   and  there  are  other  mines  of 


THE   NORTH   COAST   COUNTIES  123 

great  promise  near  the  Geyser  Spring  in  course  of  develop- 
ment. 

One  of  the  most  profitable  industries  in  Sonoma  county  pouu^y  ° 
is  poultry  raising.     It  yields  an  annual  product  of  $2,000,-  Raising. 
000  a  year,  of  which   more  than  one-half  is   shipped  from 
Petaluma. 

Petaluma  is  an  up-to-date  town  with  an  important 
manufacturing  interest,  a  large  commerce  and  many 
beautiful  homes.  It  is  but  thirty  miles  by  water  from 
Petaluma  to  San  Francisco.  It  is  surrounded  by  poultry 
farms  of  all  sizes  from  a  few  hundred  hens  up  to  the  great 
ranges  of  Leghorns  with  incubator  capacity  for  hatching 
3,000  chicks  at  once.  Three  thousand  dollars  is  paid  out 
every  day  in  cash  for  poultry  products,  and  nearly  as  much 
butter,  cheese,  and  milk  and  cream.  The  advantages  of 
poultry  raising  in  Sonoma  county  are  nearness  and  relia- 
bility of  market,  quick  cash  sales,  length  of  the  season, 
abundance  of  green  food  and  certainty  of  crops  without 
irrigation. 

Concerning  the  characteristics  of  the  coast  counties 
the  Hon.  Robert  A.  Thompson  writes  recently: 

"The  combined  areas  of  the  coast  counties,  Marin,  So. 
noma,  Mendocino  and  Humboldt  is  equal  to  many  States- 
They  front  for  over  two  hundred  miles  on  the  ocean,  ex- 
tending inland  to  the  east  for  one  hundred  miles.  They 
are  sparsely  populated  and  comparatively  undeveloped, 
but  even  as  they  are,  produce  more  wealth  per  capita  than 
any  other  counties  in  the  State.  Generally  speaking,  this 
rich  and  inviting  section  is  known  only  to  those  abroad 
whose  attention  was  directed  to  its  advantages  through 
private  sources,  or  to  those  who  had  some  special  reason  to 
investigate  its  varied  advantages. 

"The  coast  counties  differ  in  climate,  soil,  mode  of  ^^°®'"^^  . 

-^  '  '  Charactens- 

culture,  flora  and  other  products,  from  the  interior.     The  tics  of  the 

-I         •     r  11    '  /TA1  r  1     •     1  Upper  Coast 

annual  ramiall  is  greater.   The  season  of  growth  is  longer,  counties. 
No  irrigation  is  necessary.     There  are  no  droughts.     The 
dry  years  in  the  interior  are  bonanza  years  on  the  coast —    , 
prices  are  high  and  the  yield  is  enormous.   Crops  are  more 
frequently  hurt  by  too  much  than  too  little  rain.  The  red- 


Great 


124  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

wood,  the  most  available  of  all  American  forest  products, 
here  finds  its  natural  home.  A  continuous  redwood  forest 
stretches  along  the  ocean  front  of  the  northwest  coast  for 
Redwood  ^"^^  hundred  miles,  a  timber  belt  of  unsurpassed  magnifi- 
Forests.  ccuce  and  of  incalculable  commercial  value.  Individuals 
of  this  family  of  trees  attain  a  height  of  three  hundred  and 
fifty  feet,  a  diameter  of  twenty  feet  and  a  circumference  of 
sixty  feet.  Their  average  diameter  is  from  ten  to  fifteen 
feet  on  the  best  land. 

"  Eel  river  and  Russian  river  valleys  are  the  largest 
in  the  coast  counties.  The  former  runs  northward  to 
Humboldt  bay.  Russian  river  valley  runs  southward, 
fronting  on  the  bay  of  San  Francisco.  It  lies  east  of  the 
timber  belt  of  Mendocino  and  Sonoma  counties.  It  is  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  long  and  has  an  average  width 
of  ten  miles.  Its  soil  has  long  been  noted  for  its  produc- 
tion of  Indian  corn,  which  yields  sixty  bushels  to  the  acre 
without  irrigation.  This  fact  is  mentioned  as  a  witness 
for  the  soil  and  climatic  conditions,  there  being  no  other 
section  of  the  state  where  this  crop  grows  without  irriga- 
tion. All  other  cereals,  stone,  seed  and  citrus  fruits,  the 
grape,  the  olive  and  especially  berries  yield  large  returns. 
The  foothills  have  a  milder  climate  than  the  valleys  and 
are  equally  productive." 

Likeness  to  North  from  San  Francisco  just  across  the  Golden  Gate 

the  Bay  of  -"  .  .     .  -     ^     . 

Naples,  is  Marin  county,  a  picturesque  section  divided  into  sum- 
mer homes  for  San  Franciscans,  permanent  residences  in 
the  many  attractive  towns,  vast  tracts  of  timber,  camps  in 
the  redwoods  and  an  excellent  country  for  the  city  sports- 
man. Marin  is  small  but  diversified.  Mt.  Tamalpais, 
2,592  feet  high,  is  its  land-mark,  seen  from  far  inland.  It 
is  a  common  thing  for  tourist  visitors  to  San  Francisco  to 
liken  San  Francisco  bay  to  that  of  Naples  and  no  small 
part  of  the  comparison  is  the  likeness  of  the  volcanic  peak 
of  Tamalpais  to  that  of  Vesuvius, 
of  Tamalpais.  Sau  Rafael,  the  count}^  seat,  nestles  at  the  foot  of  the 

mountain.     Sausalito,  a  thriving  suburban  town,  is  on  the 
bay  shore  only  a  half  hour's  ride  from   San   Francisco, 


126  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

while  Belvedere,  Mill  Valley,  Larkspur,  and  a  dozen 
other  little  settlements  are  alluring  spots  for  homes. 
Crossing  to  Marin  county  from  the  metropolis,  the 
traveler  passes  Alcatraz  and  Angel  Island  government 
reservations,  well  fortified  and  part  of  the  system  of  de- 
fending San  Francisco  bay. 

Where  Sir  Northerly  through  Marin  county  run  the  North  Shore 

Francis  Drake  .  .  . 

Landed,  and  the  California  Northwestern  railways.  Both  main- 
tain an  excellent  suburban  ferry  and  train  service.  Point 
Reyes,  a  peninsula  and  the  most  westerly  point  of  Marin 
county,  is  guarded  by  a  government  light-house,  and  here 
indented  in  the  rocky  shores  is  Drake's  bay,  where  that 
bold  buccaneer.  Sir  Francis  Drake,  landed  during  one  of 
his  sixteenth  century  voyages. 

Swa?S  ^^  ^^^  tip-top  of  Mt.  Tamalpais  is  located  Tamalpais 

the  World.  Tavcm,  readied  by  the  broad-guage  railway  that  is  an  at- 
tractive bit  of  engineering.  The  road  was  constructed  in 
1896  and  is  justly  considered  one  of  the  great  scenic  lines 
of  the  world,  excelling  in  grandeur  of  landscape  features 
and  diversity  of  bay,  island,  cities.  Pike's  Peak,  Mt.  Cenis 
or  Mt.  Lowe.  The  road  starts  from  Mill  Valley  and  the 
traveler  may  make  the  trip  quickly  and  comfortably. 
There  are  277  curves  in  a  distance  of  eight  and  a  half 
miles,  during  which  there  is  an  ascent  of  about  2,500  feet, 
nearly  a  half  mile,  the  steepest  grade  being  about  seven 
per  cent.  If  in  following  the  tortuous  course  the  curves 
had  been  continuous,  there  would  be  forty-two  complete 
circles  made.  The  longest  straight  piece  of  track  is  but 
413  feet. 

A°  About  half  way  up  the  mountain,  on  a  broad  southern 

Engineering 

Feat,  shoulder  is  the  "Double  Bow  Knot,"  where  the  track  of 
the  railroad  parallels  itself  five  times  within  a  distance  of 
about  200  feet,  forming  as  the  name  denotes  an  almost 
perfect  double  bow  knot.  The  fact  of  overcoming  the 
grades  in  such  a  short  distance  and  by  such  an  ingenious 
way  has  caused  the  "  double  bow  knot"  on  Mt.  Tamalpais 
to  be  pronounced  one  of  the  greatest  of  railroad  engineering 
feats. 


THE  NORTH  COAST  COUNTIES  127 


Attractive 
Hotel  Rafael. 


Rendezvous 
for 


In  northern  Marin,  dairying  and  poultry  raising  are 
flourishing  industries,  and  there  are  vineyards  and  fruit 
farms  all  about  in  valley  and  on  hillside  slopes.  At  San 
Rafafel  is  one  of  the  best  tourist  hotels  in  the  State  —the 
Hotel  Rafael — attractive  both  summer  and  winter.  In  the 
canyons  and  great  ravines  of  the  county,  quail  and  other 
game  birds  are  thick,  and  rare  sport  can  be  obtained  at 
almost  any  time  during  the  open  season.  The  Country 
Club  has  leased  a  large  acreage  in  the  northern  part  of 
the  county,  and  here  the  sport  is  exceptionally  fine.  The 
Tamalpais  Sportsmen's  Club  control  a  large  tract  in  the 
southern  part  of  the  county,  and  here  also  there  is  good 
shooting  and  fishing.  Deer  are  also  plentiful  and  some 
startling  records  have  been  made  in  Marin  county  in  the 
pursuit  of  this  agile  game. 

Yachtmen  find  the  southern  coast  of  Marin  especially 
adapted  for  their  pastime,  and  at  Sausalito,  we  find  the  Yachtsmen. 
San  Francisco  and  Pacific  Yacht  Clubs,  and  at  Tiburon,  the 
Corinthians.  Well  fitted  club-houses,  where  frequent 
entertainments  are  given,  are  located  at  these  places 
and  the  sport  is  both  exciting  and  pleasurable.  Frequent 
cruises  are  held  and  races  for  cups  and  the  championship 
are  a  part  of  the  club  life.  Great  expense  is  gone  to  by 
the  members  in  fitting  up  yachts  to  enter  in  the  champion- 
ship races. 

At  Mill  Valley  and  other  places  there  are  gun  clubs, 
and  various  resorts  throughout  the  county  can  boast  of 
perfect  golf  links  and  tennis  courts. 

Lake  county  with  its  mineral  springs,  its  lakes  of  Lakecounty'i 
crystal  clearness,  its  rugged  mountain  peaks,  its  fast-  springs. 
flowing  streams,  the  blue  sky  ever  overhead  and  red  soil 
under  foot,  with  wide-spreading  oaks,  with  towering  pines 
and  firs,  has  gained  the  name  of  the  ' '  Switzerland  of  Cali- 
fornia." It  is  pre-eminently  a  resort  county,  but  that 
means  simply  that  those  who  live  without  the  county  are  , 

as  anxious  as  they  can  be  to  spend  days  each  year  amid  its  | 

delights.     The  residents  know  and  love  the  charm  of  their  j 

mountain  slopes  and  their  fertile  valleys  and  few  counties  [ 


THE    NORTH   COAST   COUNTIES  129 

of  the  State  offer  more  attractions  to  the  man  whose  capital 
is  more  in  brain  and  brawn  than  in  the  size  of  his  bank 
account.  For  here  nature  is  in  her  kindliest  mood  almost 
the  whole  j^ear  through 

Ideal  homes  are  here,  as  there  are  in  other  upper  Cali-  Foothui 
fornia  foothill  counties — picturesque  homes,  healthful  ^°™''- 
homes,  with  roomy  cabins,  roofed  with  redwood  shakes, 
sided,  often,  with  pine-logs,  fenced  with  timber  cut  from 
the  mountain  sides;  homes  with  fire-places,  cavernous  and 
comfortable,  veritable  inglenooks  built  of  stone,  dug  from 
the  hillside  behind  the  house,  and  piled  up  with  clay  taken 
from  the  soil  close  at  hand.  And  here  are  sparkling 
springs,  clear  water  and  plenty  of  it,  brought  from  the 
rocky  hills  near  by;  water  for  drinking  and  irrigating, 
if  need  be,  although  the  rainfall  through  all  this  region 
makes  irrigation  something,  not  to  be  thought  of,  except 
where  the  home-builder  needs  a  patch  of  clover  or  alfalfa 
to  keep  his  cows  in  the  proper  butter-making  humor  the 
year  round. 

Over  these  shake-roofed  cabins — I  can  see  many  of  shaS-rTOfed 
them  through  all  this  section — climb  rosebushes  riotously,  cawns. 
with  blossoms  of  yellow  gold,  decking  the  sides  and  waving 
from  the  roof  peaks.  About  the  dooryard  are  fig  trees  that 
bear  abundantly,  white  figs  or  black  figs,  of  succulent 
taste  and  fragrant  odor.  Here,  too,  are  olives,  with  deep 
purpling  fruit  amid  their  gray-green  foliage.  Orange  trees 
are  often  here,  too,  and  lemons,  for  oranges  thrive  fre- 
quently as  high  up  and  as  far  north  as  this,  and  here,  too, 
are  vineyards  bearing  luscious  green-gold  clusters  of  Mus- 
cats or  rose-red  Tokays,  deep  purple  Missions  or  tiny 
bunches  of  golden  Chassellas.  The  barns  of  such  homes 
trifle  with  the  climate,  with  open  doorways,  and  sides 
banked  only  with  hay,  impudently  daring  the  weather 
to  do  its  worst.  For  the  winters  here,  while  often  cool  and 
shaip  during  January  and  February,  are  laughable  from  a 
climatic  standpoint,  to  anyone  who  has  lived  in  New  En- 
gland or  old  England  or  the  Middle  United  States. 

Lakeport  is  a  thriving  town  on  the  shores  of  Clear  Lake  ^^^^^  ^^""^^ 

r  o  of  Clear  Lake. 

and  from  it  run  little  steamers,  carrying  travelers  to  and 


130  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

from  the  many  attractive  resorts.  From  Bartlett  Springs, 
a  famous  resort  for  Californians,  automobile  stages  run 
across  the  country  into  the  Sacramento  valley,  connecting 
with  the  west  side  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific. 

North  and  westerly  from  Lake  is  Mendocino,  a  county 
of  wondrous  possibilities  and  comparatively  little  de- 
veloped. The  main  line  of  the  California  Northwestern 
railway  penetrates  almost  to  the  center  of  the  county  at 
Willits,  and  is  projected  northerly  into  Humboldt,  to 
touch  the  ocean  on  Humboldt  bay  at  Eureka. 

Mendocino  Meudociuo  is  kuowu  chiefly  for  its  forests,  but  as  the 

Forests,  forests  are  cleared,  agriculture  and  horticulture  follow 
and  in  hundreds  of  valleys  throughout  the  big  county  are 
opportunities  for  home-building  and  fortune  making.  Here 
are  vast  tracts  of  redwood  timber  land;  here  are  many 
mineral  springs,  and  wide  ranges  where  sheep  and  cattle 
thrive  all  the  year. 

Ukiah,  the  county  seat,  is  a  wide-awake  city  with  many 
improvements  and  many  more  projected.  It  takes  its 
name  from  a  redoubtable  Indian  chief  who  helped  make 
history  in  the  early  days  when  the  Anglo-Saxon  was 
roaming  the  California  wilderness.  In  Mendocino  rises 
the  Eel  river,  a  water  course  that  finds  its  ocean  outlet 
in  Humboldt  bay.  Humboldt  is  a  county  that,  like  Men- 
docino, up  to  the  present  time  has  been  largely  devoted 
to  lumbering,  but  other  industries  are  following  fast,  and 
in  the  towns  of  Eureka,  Areata,  Ferndale,  and  Fortuna 
are  growing  up  communities  of  many  resources. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

COAST  COUNTIES  SOUTH  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO.  Populous  Section  Immedi- 
ately About  San  Francisco,  the  Metropolis  of  California — Oakland,  Third 
City  in  the  State  — Picturesque  and  Attractive  Section  on  Eastern  Shore  of 
San  FranciscoBay — Homes  on  the  Foothills  Facing  the  Golden  Gate — Many 
Educational  Institutions — Early  Fruit  Region — Alameda  and  Contra  Costa 
Counties — The  Santa  Clara  Valley  Paradise — City  of  San  Jose  and  Recent 
Progress — L,ick  Observatory  and  ML  Hamilton — San  Mateo,  Its  Suburban 
Homes  and  Spreading  Oaks — Leland  Stanford  Junior  University  and  its 
Work  — Santa  Cruz  by  the  Sea  — Big  Basin  Redwood  Park  — Old  Monterey 
— Marvels  of  Famed  Del  Monte  — Pacific  GroveMarine  Laboratory,  Salmon 
Fishing,  El  Carmelo  Mission  — San  Benito  and  its  Undeveloped  Resources 
— Fertile  Valleys  of  Monterey  and  San  Luis  Obispo — Sugar  Beets  and  Beet 
Sugar — Mineral  Springs — Paso  Robles  and  Santa  Ysabel. 


It's  O  my  heart,  my  heart, 

To  be  out  in  the  sun  and  sing — 

To  sing  and  shout  in  the  fields  about. 
In  the  balm  and  blossoming. 

— Ina  Coolbrith. 


WHILE  not  directly  south  of  San  Francisco,  the 
counties  of  Alameda  and  Contra  Costa  easterly 
across  San  Francisco  bay,  are  notable  communi- 
ties to  be  included  in  this  chapter.  Their  proximity  to  the 
greatest  city  of  California  gives  them  special  advantages 
for  residence  purposes,  for  manufacturing,  for  educational 
institutions,  and  for  the  many  suburban  features  which  a 
great  city  demands. 

The  city  of  Oakland,  Alameda's  county  seat,  is  the 
third  city  of  California  and  a  place  of  rare  beauty.  Its 
site  is  almost  ideal,  situated  on  the  sloping  plain  which 
runs  from  the  Contra  Costa  hills  southerly  and  westerly  to 
the  waters  of  San  Francisco  bay.  Over  this  vast  plain  are 
spread  live  oaks,  centuries  old,  shading  the  streets  in 
many  places  and  affording  centering  points  for  many  at- 
tractive parks  and  gardens.  The  city  is  well  built  up  with 
homes,  owned  not  only  by  residents  of  Oakland,  but  many 
San  Francisco  merchants  and  professional  men  have  their 


COAST   COUNTIES   TO   THE   SOUTH  133 

residences  here.  North  of  Oakland  is  Berkeley,  the  site 
of  the  University  of  California,  and  south  of  Oakland  the 
attractive  suburb  of  Alameda. 

Oakland's  water-front  on  San  Francisco  bay  is  des-  o»>^ia°d's 

•^     ^  ^  Communlca- 

tined  to  make  it  of  more  than   ordinary  commercial  im-  tionwithsan 

,      ,  ..,.,,  Francisco. 

portance,  and  the  government,  recognizing  this,  has  been 
devoting  for  some  years  appropriations  to  the  construc- 
tion of  a  tidal  canal  so  that  deep  water  vessels  may  come 
close  to  the  city's  wharves.  Great  as  are  its  manufacturing 
and  maritime  advantages,  it  is  principally  as  a  home,  a 
resident  town,  that  Oakland  has  grown  to  be  the  third 
largest  community  in  the  State,  containing  over  half  the 
population  of  the  county.  It  has  attracted  to  itself  many 
thousands  of  the  business  men  and  professional  men  of 
San  Francisco.  They  do  their  business  there,  but  will 
live  only  in  Oakland.  Three  ferry  systems — soon  to  be 
four — connect  it  with  San  Francisco.  Abundant  trains 
distribute  through  the  main  arteries  of  the  city  whence 
130  miles  of  street  car  lines  radiate  to  San  Lorenzo,  San 
Leandro,  Haywards,  Melrose,  Fitchburg,  Elmhnrst,  Em- 
eryville, Ivorin,  Berkeley  and  Alameda.  This  intra-urban 
and  the  suburban  system  of  rapid  transit  is  now  being  ex- 
tended to  Richmond  and  San  Jose.  All  these  lines  render 
easy  of  access  most  attractive  localities  for  abode.  Nearly 
one  thousand  new  homes  have  been  erected  during  the  Rapid 
past  year  and  they  are  all  upon  healthful  sites.  Building  New  Homes, 
lots  and  rents  are  cheap,  and  houses  are  sold  or  rented  as 
fast  as  they  are  built.  The  commutation  rates  of  travel 
are  the  lowest  in  the  world. 

While  building  has  been  the  rule  throughout  the 
county,  particularly  has  this  been  noticeable  in  the  cities 
of  Berkeley,  Oakland,  and  Alameda.  Alameda  county 
has  a  population  of  131,000  according  to  the  last  census, 
which  gave  Oakland  city  a  population  of  67,000.  The 
city  council,  realizing  the  rapid  growth  of  the  city, 
recently  ordered  a  new  census  taken,  and  this  gives  a 
figure  of  82,974. 

The  future  holds  much  in  store  for  this  county. 
Already   it  is  the  terminus  of  the  Southern  Pacific  rail- 


Bonding  the 
City  for  Parks. 


134  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

road  and  the  Santa  Fe  is  building  an  extension  of  its  line 
from' Point  Richmond.  It  will  co-operate  with  the  Realty 
Syndicate  in  the  management  of  a  new  ferry  system  be- 
tween Oakland  and  San  Francisco. 

Steps  are  being  taken  in  the  city  of  Oakland  to  bond 
the  city  for  something  over  $2,000,000  for  the  purpose  of 
acquiring  parks,  boulevards,  additional  school  houses  and 
sites  and  a  new  city  hall.  The  Federal  government  has 
nearly  completed  a  new  post-office  building  for  use  of  the 
city  at  a  cost  of  $200,000.  The  Carnegie  library  has  also 
been  completed  during  the  past  year.  Mr.  Carnegie's 
donation  for  that  building  was  $50,000,  and  for  the  site 
the  citizens  subscribed  $20,000. 

One  of  the  important  projects  undertaken  here  during 
the  past  year,  and  one  which  will  not  be  completed  for 
some  time,  is  the  building  of  a  tunnel  to  connect  Alameda 
and  Contra  Costa  counties.  A  range  of  hills  now 
separates  the  two  counties  and  has  served  as  a  hindrance 
to  travel  between  the  counties.  Both  counties  have  sought 
to  have  the  tunnel  built,  and,  in  fact,  it  was  started  many 
years  ago  by  private  capital,  which  proved  inadequate  for 
the  enterprise.  Within  the  past  three  years  the  Mer- 
chants Exchange  of  Oakland  undertook  the  task  and 
though  a  special  act  of  the  legislature  was  required  to 
authorize  the  expenditure  of  the  money,  it  was  accom- 
plished, and  the  necessary  appropriations  made  by  both 
counties.  The  estimated  expense  of  constructing  the 
tunnel  is  very  nearly  $30,000. 

Big  Plant  of  One  of  the  latest  corporations  to  appreciate  the  advan- 

ce Pacific  ri/^i-ii'-irii 

Steel  tages  01  the  Oakland  side  of  the  bay  as  a  manufacturing 
csompany.  ^gj^^^j-   jg    ^^iQ    Pacific    Stccl    Company,  which   is    already 
erecting  a   big   plant  on   the  twenty-five  acres  of  land  it 
recently  acquired  in  Hast  Oakland. 

In  the  hills  east  of  Oakland  is  located  Mills  College, 
which  has  been  designated  the  *' Wellesley  of  the"  Pacific 
Coast,"  as  it  is  one  of  the  best-known  and  most  efficient 
colleges  for  women  in  the  United  States.  Throughout  the 
county  are  scattered  a  number  of  notable  secondary  schools, 
nearly  all  of  them  leading  their  students  to  the  University 


COAST   COUNTIES  TO  THE  SOUTH  135 

of  California  at  Berkeley.  The  characteristics  of  this  ^^e^jty 
institution  are  elsewhere  noted.  The  university  stands  or  California, 
to-day  among  the  recognized  institutions  of  learning  in 
the  United  States  and  during  the  last  years  of  the  admin- 
istration of  its  recently  retired  president,  Martin  Kellogg, 
and  the  few  years  of  the  aggressive  work  of  the  present 
president,  Benjamin  Ide  Wheeler,  has  moved  rapidly  to  a 
place  of  acknowledged  high  standing  among  the  world's 
best  universities.  Its  aim  is  not  only  for  the  education  of 
the  young  men  and  young  women  of  California,  but  its 
well-managed  university  extension  system,  its  farmers' 
institutes,  its  lecturers  in  all  branches,  that  go  out  among 
the  people  telling  of  the  latest  advances  of  science  in 
agriculture,  horticulture  and  mining,  stock-raising  and 
dairying  and  other  lines  of  practical  learning,  have  made 
it  a  power  for  great  good  in  the  development  of  the  fast- 
growing  State.  Tuition  here  is  absolutely  free  to  all  resi- 
dents of  the  State,  and  the  student  without  wealth  may 
here  find  numerous  ways  of  earning  his  own  way  through 
the  four  years  of  his  college  term. 

Here  at  Berkeley  also  is  the  State  Institute  for  the  Education 
Deaf,  Dumb  and  Blind,  which,  under  the  guidance  of  Pro-  untortunats. 
fessor  Warring  Wilkinson,  an  acknowledged  expert  in 
this  line  for  training  the  unfortunate,  has  for  a  quarter  of 
a  century  stood  for  all  that  is  best  in  this  peculiar  class  of 
educational  attainment.  Close  by,  in  Oakland,  is  the 
Home  for  Adult  Blind,  an  admirable  institution  main- 
tained by  the  State. 

Concerning  Oakland's  climate,  and  the  record  is  prac- 
tically true  of  all  Alameda  county,  statistics  are  rather 
instructive  than  interesting,  but  Oakland's  equable  cli- 
mate is  quite  clearly  demonstrated  from  the  daily  records 
noted  at  Chabot  Observatory.  Since  January,  1876,  (be- 
ginning of  the  recorded  observations),  the  annual  average 
temperature  has  been  50°.  The  average  temperature  of 
its  coldest  weather  has  been  48°;  that  of  its  warmest,  62°; 
and  its  average  humidity,  80°.  The  average  temperature 
of  1902  was  50° ;  the  temperature  of  the  warmest  day,  70°; 
of  the  coolest  39°;  the  greatest  variation   in  twenty-four 


pa  < 
o 


M 

2  K 


COAST   COUNTIES    TO    THE    SOUTH  •  137 

hours  33°;  the  least  6°;  days  in  which  rain  fell,  83;  days  of  '^^^*^^^ 
frost,  22;  number  of  clear  and  fair  days,  268.  The 
greatest  monthly  variation  of  temperature  was  in  October, 
viz.,  43°;  the  least  in  January,  26°.  The  average  daily 
range  of  temperature  for  the  year  was  17.33°.  Rainfall 
in  inches  during  the  year  was  23.92.  Separating  the 
period  into  seasons  corresponding  with  those  in  the  East, 
the  mean  temperature  of  the  spring  was  58.85°;  of  the 
summer,  59.83;  of  the  autumn,  54.87;  of  the  winter, 
49.27.  The  difference  between  the  warmest  and  coldest 
months  of  the  spring  was  6.65°;  of  the  summer,  2.9';  of 
the  autumn,  11.5°  and  of  winter  5,7°. 


Contra  Costa,   eastward  and   over  the  hills  from  Ala-  contra 

Costa'B  Fruit 

meda  is  noted  for  its  small  fruit  farms  over  in  the  Alham-  Farms. 
bra  valley  back  of  Martinez,  the  county  seat;  for  its 
poultry  ranches,  for  its  big  grain  store-houses  on  Carqui- 
nez  straits  where  the  deep  water  ships  come  direct  to  the 
wharves  to  secure  their  cargoes.  The  manufacturers  in 
this  section  are  the  Sacramento  River  Packers  Association, 
Garratt's  Foundry,  Copper  King  Smelting  Works,  the 
Peyton  Chemical  Works,  California  and  Hawaiian  Sugar 
Refinery,  and  Selby's  Gold  Smelting  Works,  where  gold 
quartz  from  all  over  the  State  is  brought  to  be  turned  out 
in  the  form  of  bullion,  the  Union  and  National  Refining 
Companies,  which  have  been  built  within  the  past  eighteen 
months,  and  the  powder  mills  of  the  California  and  Giant 
Companies,  located  near  Pinole,  but  two  or  three  miles 
from  Selby's.      On   Point  Pinole,  which  iuts  out  into  the  ^*°y 

-^  ,  '  -'  _  Industries. 

San  Pablo  bay,  is  located  the  works  of  the  International 
Explosives  Company.  Other  lesser  industries  are  estab- 
lished along  the  shore  between  Point  Pinole  and  Point 
Richmond.  Three  years  ago  the  site  on  which  the  towm 
of  Richmond  has  been  built,  was  a  farm.  To-day  it  has  a 
population  of  more  than  2,000.  The  town  is  the  terminal 
of  the  Santa  Fe  road,  which  has  its  shops  located  there. 
The  Standard  Oil  Company  has  made  it  the  terminal  of 
its  big  pipe  line  from  the  Southern  oil  fields.  A  ferry 
service  connects  the  point  with  San  Francisco. 


138  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

During  the  past  year  the  county  court  house  has 
nearly  been  completed.  It  will  cost  over  $200,000,  and  is 
one  of  the  finest  county  buildings  in  the  State.  A  new 
high  school  has  been  established  in  Martinez  and  a  three 
story  school  has  been  built  at  the  same  place. 

Next  south  of  San  Francisco  is  the  county  of  San 
Mateo,  a  suburban  region  of  sea-coast,  mountain  and 
valley,  dotted  with  summer  homes,  picturesque  orchards 
and  vineyards,  and  along  the  overland  coast  line  of  the 
Southern  Pacific  Company  are  a  number  of  attractive 
towns,  of  which  Redwood,  San  Mateo,  Menlo  Park,  Bel- 
mont, are  the  chief. 

sJa^torsan  Rcdwood,  the  county  seat,  is  an  incorporated  town  of 

Mateo  County,  about  2,000  pcoplc,  whose  property  is  assessed  at  over 
$618,000.  It  is  a  manufacturing  place  of  considerable  and 
increasing  importance,  owing  to  its  excellent  location 
between  a  railroad  and  navigable  water  channel.  Its  tribu- 
tary area  is  about  one  hundred  and  eighty  square  miles, 
extending  by  reason  of  numerous  roads  far  into  the  forests 
and  along  an  extensive  coast  region. 

The  largest  single  industry  of  the  town  is  that  of 
tanning  hides,  and  the  excellence  of  the  leather  is  known 
in  every  market.  The  principal  tanning  company  em- 
ploys about  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  men  and  pays 
out  in  wages  over  $100,000  a  year. 
Artesian  The   water  supply  of  the  place,  owned  by   the  city, 

comes,  as  at  Stockton,  HoUister  and  some  other  towms, 
from  artesian  wells,  and  in  regard  to  cost,  quality  and 
quantity  gives  satisfaction  to  the  community.  Power  and 
light  are  furnished  by  a  company  whose  headquarters  are 
at  San  Jose,  and  which  supplies  a  large  number  of  towns 
around  the  bay.  This  power  is  chiefly  for  pumping  water 
to  irrigate  vegetable  fields  and  for  many  other  domestic 
purposes  is  better  than  are  steam  or  gasoline  engines,  so 
it  is  rapidly  coming  into  use  on  many  farms  in  this  region, 
as  well  as  in  the  towns.  The  electric  light  plant  is  owned 
by  the  city. 

The  schools  of  Redwood  are  the  pride  of  the  commu- 


PRESIDENT    ROOSEVELT    DELIVERING    THE    COMMENCEMENT    DAY    ADDRESS    IN 

THE   GREAT  HEARST  AMPHITHEATER  AT  THE    UNIVERSITY 

OF    CALIFORNIA.    MAY    14.    1903. 


140  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

nity,  which  spent  $40,000  on  the  building  which  holds  the 
grammar  and  high  school  departments,  but  they  are  now 
planning  for  a  separate  high  school  building.  There  are 
also  excellent  private  schools  within  easy  reach,  and 
Stanford  University  is  only  five  miles  away. 
Superb  Groves  South  of  Rcdwood  the  traveler  passes  through  superb 

of  Natural  x-v    •  .  . 

Oaks,  groves  of  natural  oaks,  through  Fair  Oaks,  with  its 
excellent  homes,  club  house  and  golf  links,  past  the  Flood 
mansion,  now  the  property  of  the  University  of  California, 
and  past  other  fine  country  homes  to  Menlo  Park,  peopled 
by  some  of  California's  wealthiest  and  best-known  resi- 
dents. To  the  east  of  the  village  is  St.  Patrick's  Semi- 
nary for  the  education  of  priests,  a  magnificent  brick 
structure  with  ample  surroundings,  on  which  a  million 
dollars  has  already  been  spent.  At  Menlo  Park  is  also 
the  Hoitt  school  for  boys.  At  the  northern  end  of  the 
county  around  San  Bruno  are  famous  dairies  which 
supply  San  Francisco's  markets,  and  here  also  running 
close  into  San  Francisco  are  large  tracts  given  up  to  the 
'     raising  of  vegetables. 

At  South  San  Francisco — so  named,  but  in  San  Mateo 
county — is  the  extensive  manufacturing  plant  of  the 
Western  Meat  Company.  Here  also  are  manufactories 
of  paints  and  oils  and  other  industries  that  naturally  find 
their  home  just  without  the  boundary  of  a  large  city.  At 
San  Mateo  is  St.  Matthew's  Hall,  an  Episcopalian  school 
for  boys,  widely  known  for  its  military  features  as  well  as 
for  the  high  moral  standard  set  for  its  students. 
Sports  at  Near  San   Mateo    is    Burlingame,    the   "Tuxedo"   of 

California,  where  many  millionaires  of  the  West  have 
made  their  homes  and  have  settled  down  to  enjoy  the 
luxury  that  wealth  affords,  amusing  themselves  with 
cross-country  hunts,  automobile  excursions,  golf,  tennis, 
house-parties,  and  the  usual  round  of  sport  that  country 
life  in  California  makes  possible.  Around  here  are  large 
places  devoted  to  the  growing  of  cut  flowers,  not  only  for 
the  San  Francisco  market,  but  for  Portland,  Seattle  and 
Salt  Lake,  shipping  this  fragrant  freight  daily  to  far 
away  points.     One  place  here  has  sold  as  high  as  $40,000 


COAST   COUNTIES   TO    THE   SOUTH  141 

worth  of  cut  flowers  in  the  San  Francisco  market  alone  in 
a  single  season,  and  here  in  one  ten  acre  tract  is  a  won- 
drous garden  of  violets — violets  of  all  sizes  and  shapes 
and  varieties,  from  the  tiny  pale  blue  Marie-Louise  to  the 
monster  California,  that  perfumeless  purple  beauty  whose 
wondrous  elegance  has  won  fame  among  violet  lovers  all 
the  world  over. 

All  sorts  of  industries  thrive  along  the  bay  shore  of 
San  Mateo,  from  frog  and  terrapin  raising  to  oysters  and 
poultry.  On  the  marsh  near  Redwood  an  extensive  tract 
is  given  up  to  the  production  of  salt. 

Just  south  of  the  boundary  line  of  San  Mateo  in  Features 
Santa  Clara  county  at  Palo  Alto  is  the  Leland  Stanford  university. 
Junior  University,  that  institution  that  has,  in  recent 
years,  drawn  to  it  the  eyes  of  all  the  world  of  learning. 
Here  has  grown  up,  probably,  the  richest  university  in 
the  world,  for  its  present  endowment,  as  elsewhere  noted, 
aggregates  fully  $30,000,000.  Under  the  guiding  hand  of 
the  late  Senator  Leland  Stanford,  and  of  Mrs.  Stanford,  and 
of  its  first  and  present  president,  David  Starr  Jordan,  the 
university  has  grown  rapidly,  until  both  in  number  of 
students  and  in  character  of  the  curriculum,  the  institu- 
tion stands  well  to  the  forefront  among  its  college  rivals 
both  east,  west  and  abroad. 

This  university  is  only  one  of  the  notable  features  of 
that  small  empire,  Santa  Clara  county.  A  glance  at  the 
map  shows  the  county's  sheltered  situation  with  the  high 
pine-clad  hills  of  the  Coast  Range  shielding  it  from  the 
sea  winds  and  the  long  spur  of  mountains  of  the  Mount  cura's 
Hamilton  range  protecting  it  from  the  warm  winds  of  the 
eastward.  Through  the  valley  north  and  south  runs  the 
coast  line  of  the  Southern  Pacific,  giving  the  residents  of 
the  valley  practically  suburban  traffic  with  San  Francisco. 

San  Jose  is  notable  among  cities  of  the  world,  situated 
aShit  is  in  the  center  of  a  fertile  valley,  gathering  to  itself 
a  population  noted  for  culture  and  for  learning,  attracted 
hither  by  the  climate,  by  the  famous  schools,  as  well  as 
alluring  scientists  in  special  lines  to  the  big  Lick  Observ- 
atory on  Mt.  Hamilton. 


142  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

^^^^muion  ^^^^   Santa  Clara  valley,   through   which    Governor 

Pounds  of  Gaspar  de  Portola  marched  with  his  troops  way  north  in 
1769  when  seeking  San  Francisco  bay,  is  about  sixty 
miles  long  and  averages  twenty  miles  in  width.  In  the 
valley  lands  and  far  up  into  the  hills  are  orchards — 
orchards  producing  all  kinds  of  fruit,  but  chiefly  prunes. 
In  the  year  1901  over  100,000,000  pounds  of  prunes  were 
shipped  out  of  California  to  the  markets  of  the  Eastern 
States  and  Europe  and  the  bulk  of  this  product  came  from 
the  Santa  Clara  valley.  A  conservative  estimate  of  the 
Santa  Clara  valley  prune  crop  for  1902  is  80,000,000 
pounds,  valued  at  over  $2,100,000.  The  crop  of  apricots 
brought  over  $560,000,  and  the  total  receipts  from  ex- 
ported dried  fruit  product  of  the  year  was  something  like 
$3,000,000.  In  canned  fruits,  the  county  is  not  less 
notable,  the  estimated  receipts  for  the  crop  of  1902  footing 
up  to  over  $2,400,000,  making  a  grand  total  of  receipts 
for  dried,  canned  and  fresh  fruit  shipped  for  1902  not  far 
from  $7,000,000. 

Blooming  It  is  duHug  the  blossoming  season  that  the  valley 

presents  its  greatest  charms  whether  as  a  panorama  or 
scene  in  detail.  Then  the  white  blossoms  cover  it  almost 
like  a  mantel  of  snow.  It  is  a  hopeless  task  to  convey  an 
impression  of  the  beauty  of  this  scene  to  one  whose  eyes 
have  not  beheld  it.  Six  million  fruit  trees  are  in  bloom 
simultaneously.  Of  these  four  millions  are  prune  trees 
and  are  in  bloom  in  the  same  time,  while  with  them  peach, 
apricot,  pear  and  cherry,  are  mingled  to  give  color  tints  to 
the  scene,  for  the  deep  pink  of  peach  blossom  adds  here 
and  there  a  patch  of  color  to  relieve  the  snowy  whiteness 
of  the  general  tone.  Mile  after  mile  these  masses  of 
blossoms  stretch  before  the  eye  until  thej'-  blend  with  the 
blue  of  the  horizon. 
Blossom  The   blossom    season  is   a   long  and  delightful  one. 

Season  11  i  1  r       •     '      ' 

of  Santa  both  to  the  rcsideuts   and  the  thousands  ot  visitors  who 

Clara  (Valley,  g^^j^  ^^^  vallcy  to  cujoy  its   cHmatc.     The   almonds  are 

the  first  to   show  their  bloom,  beginning  usually  the  last 

week  in  January,  and  in  a  few  weeks  these  are  followed 

by  the  peach,  the  cherry,  the  pear,  the  apricot,  and  then 


144  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

the  prunes,  the  latter  about  the  middle  of  March  or  early 
in  April,  and  finally  by  the  apples. 

It  is  no  wonder,  comments  a  recent  writer,  the  people 
of  Santa  Clara  annually  celebrate  the  blooming  of  the 
fruit  trees  with  a  "Blossom  Festival,"  and  that  visitors 
come  from  great  distances  to  join  in  the  celebration  or 
witness  the  unique  spectacle.  Unique  it  is  indeed,  for  no 
where  else  in  the  universe  can  such  a  sight  be  witnessed 
as  this  mountain-girt  valley  of  fruit  trees  during  the 
blossom  season.  The  Japanese  celebrate  the  blooming  of 
the  cherry  trees,  but  all  the  cherry  trees  in  Japan  are  but 
as  a  satellite  to  the  sun  compared,  with  the  blooming 
orchard  of  the  Santa  Clara. 

RtotSn  ^^    ^^^   seasons    of  the  year  flowers  may  be  seen  in 

Midwinter,  profusiou  about  the  homes.  The  ever-blooming  roses,, 
hedge  rows  of  callas  in  bloom,  the  many  colored  flowers 
of  geranium,  the  beautiful,  long-stemmed  California 
violets,  and  many  other  flowers  may  be  seen  during  the 
entire  winter.  But  it  is  in  April  and  May,  just  following 
the  rioting  of  Nature  in  the  blooming  orchards  that 
flowers  are  seen  in  an  almost  incredible  abundance.  Huge 
rose  bushes  climb  over  houses  and  fences  and  far  up 
among  the  limbs  of  great  trees,  covering  them  with  a 
wealth  of  color. 
Paradise  of  In    Santa  Clara  county    are  about    4,000,000  prune 

Fruits,  trees,  600,000  apricot  trees,  500,000  peach,  1,500  cherry, 
10,000  olive,  125,000  pear,  20,000  almond,  10,000  walnut, 
3,000  fig,  25,000  apple,  and  large  numbers  of  orange, 
lemon,  nectarine  and  other  kinds  of  fruit  and  nut  trees 
not  grown  on  so  large  a  scale.  Oranges  may  be  profitably 
grown  here,  but  the  climate  and  soil  are  better  adapted  to 
deciduous  fruits. 

Conditions  of  the  soil  and  climate  render  this  one  of 
the  best  prune-growing  districts  in  the  world.  For  this 
reason  prune  culture  in  the  United  States  has  found  here 
its  greatest  development.  Three-fifths  of  all  the  prunes 
produced  on  this  continent  are  grown  in  this  valley  whose 
trees  yield  upwards  of  a  hundred  million  pounds  of  cured 
fruit  annually.     The  matter  of  superior  quality  accounts 


COAST  COUNTIES  TO  THE  SOUTH  145 

for  the  concentration  of  the  industry  in  this  valley. 
Prunes  and  other  fruits  are  dried  in  the  sun  and  not  by 
artificial  heat,  as  is  necessary  in  less  sunny  climes. 

There  are  dried  annually  about  three  million  pounds  Dried"lnd 
each  of  peaches  and  apricots,  and  pears  and  apples,  to  a  canned Fruus. 
total  of  a  million  pounds  more.  Seven  canneries  pack 
more  than  twelve  million  cans  of  fruit  annually,  as  well 
as  great  quantities  of  tomatoes  and  other  vegetables,  while 
all  varieties  of  fruits  are  shipped  fresh  to  the  extent  of 
twenty  million  pounds  annually. 

Here  also  are  many  acres  of  small  fruits  and  berries, 
strawberries  yielding  constantly  from  April  to  December. 
Many  acres  are  devoted  to  the  growing  of  wheat  and 
barley,  which  give  large  yields  of  the  finest  of  grain. 
Only  the  superior  value  of  the  fruit  crop  prevents  the 
valley  from  being  a  continuous  field  of  grain.  Much 
grain  is  cut  for  hay  and  there  is  also  considerable  meadow 
land  devoted  to  grass  hay  of  about  the  same  market  value. 
Many  acres,  too,  are  devoted  to  the  growing  of  vegetables 
and  flower  seeds.  This  is  an  industry  highly  developed, 
in  this  valley.  Last  year  the  product  of  seed  exceeded 
five  hundred  tons,  more  than  half  of  which  were  onion 
seeds,  the  remainder  being  of  many  varieties.  Seedsmen 
all  over  the  United  States  buy  the  Santa  Clara  seeds  and 
know  they  are  putting  on  the  market  the  best  that  can  be 
grown.  The  assessment  roll  shows  that  there  were  in 
1901  13,020  acres  in  wheat,  13,200  in  barley,  30,900  in 
hay,  397  in  potatoes,  240  in  blackberries,  159  in  rasp- 
berries, 261  in  strawberries  and  several  thousand  in  seeds. 
The  total  exports  annually  are  enormous. 

iThe  orchard  feature  of  Santa  Clara  valley  combines  to  famines  of 

I    .  ...  .  Fruit  Pickers. 

form  in  the  fruit  picking  season  a  novel  picture,  for  from 
San  Jose  and  other  cities  and  towns  in  the  country  go 
forth  men,  women  and  children  to  harvest  the  crops  of 
prunes,  apricots,  grapes  and  other  products.  The  labor 
is  such  that  all  may  find  employment  and  there  is  a  steady 
demand  for  labor  of  this  character  at  good  wages.  Often 
entire  families  camp  in  an  orchard;  they  are  given  all  the 
fruit  they  care  to  eat  and  here  they  camp  enjoying  a  sum- 


146  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

mer  outing  as  well  as  making  a  snug  sum  for  various  uses 
on  returning  to  their  homes.  This  valley  and  all  Califor- 
nia needs  laborers  of  this  character.  Throughout  the 
State  within  the  past  years  by  means  of  committees  of 
improvement  and  development  associations  and  the  central 
committee  under  whose  auspices  this  volume  is  published, 
a  determined  effort  has  been  put  forth  to  bring  to  the 
State  labor  of  this  character.  The  Chinese  and  Japanese 
are  here  in  large  numbers,  but  their  labor  is  not  as  satis- 
factory to  the  good  citizen  as  white  labor,  and  thrifty  men 
and  women  here  may  find  plenty  of  healthful  work  to  do, 
in  the  fruit  harvesting  season  especially.  \ 

! 

Historic  Between    San  Jose  and   the  Leland   Stanford    Junior 

Mission  ^  <J 

Santa  Clara.  University,  is  the  old  town  of  Santa  Clara  and  the  Santa 
Clara  Mission  and  College,  the  oldest  institution  of 
learning  on  the  Pacific  Coast.  The  Mission  was  founded 
in  1777.  Here,  growing  in  the  old  Mission  garden,  may 
be  seen  the  olives  and  palm  trees  planted  by  the  faithful 
religious  workers  of  long  ago.  From  the  Mission  to  San 
Jose  are  ancient  willows  also  planted  by  the  padres  to 
afford  them  shade  in  walking  from  Santa  Clara  to  the 
hacienda  of  San  Jose.  The  Mission  is  one  of  the  best 
preserved  of  the  long  line  of  missions,  with  the  original 
frescoes  and  paintings  as  they  were  over  a  century  ago. 

Not  far  from  Mission  Santa  Clara  towards  San  Jose  is 
the  University  of  the  Pacific,  a  Methodist  institution 
which  ranks  high  for  its  moral  and  intellectual  training. 

San  Jose  Sau  Josc  is  a  uiodcl  city  with  electric  cars  and  electric 

Lick  lights.  Its  chief  hotel,  the  Vendome,  is  one  of  the  finest 
servatory.  -^  ^-^^  Wcst,  aud  draws  to  it  a  steady  patronage  of  both 
tourists  and  residents.  From  the  Vendome  stages  start 
for  the  Lick  Observatory  twenty-eight  miles  away  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Hamilton  at  an  altitude  of  4440  feet. 
It  was  here  that  the  trustees  of  James  Lick,  an  eccentric 
California  millionaire,  erected  at  a  cost  of  $700,000  some 
years  ago  the  then  largest  telescope  in  the  world.  Its 
lens,  made  by  Alvan  Clarke,  is  three  feet  in  diameter,  now 
surpassed  only  by  the  great  Yerkes'  glass  at  Chicago.     Up 


148  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAV 

here  on  the  mountaiu  a  staff  of  astronomers  under  the 
direction  of  the  University  of  California  (for  the  Lick 
Observatory  is  an  allied  college  of  the  university),  spend 
their  nights  scanning  the  heavens,  and  to  their  zeal  and 
watchfulness  science  of  recent  years  is  indebted  for  many 
discoveries  of  double  stars,  comets  and  other  celestial 
phenomena.  The  present  director  (1903)  is  Professor  W. 
W.  Campbell,  and  with  him  are  associated  men  whose 
work  is  known  to  all  astronomers. 

Atofael  ^^  ^^^  lower  part  of  the  county  are  the  long-famed 

Quicksilver  Ncw    Almadcu    quicksilvcr    mines,    the    largest    quick- 


Mines. 


Features  of 
San  Jose. 


silver  mines  in  the  United  States  and  the  third  largest 
producer  in  the  world.  Down  around  the  town  of  Gilroy 
are  fertile  plains  given  up  to  dairying,  beet  sugar  and  seed 
growing  and  over  at  San  Felipe  not  far  away  from  Gilroy, 
cigar  tobacco  has  been  raised  successfully  for  some  years. 

California  has  several  normal  schools,  and  one  of  the 
best  of  them  is  in  San  Jose  with  over  six  hundred  pupils 
and  a  large  corps  of  ef&cient  teachers. 

San  Jose  has  a  complete  system  of  electric  street 
cars,  two  systems  of  electric  light  and  gas,  fine  police  and 
fire  departments,  good  sewers  and  other  appointments  of 
a  modern  city.  The  purest  of  water  is  piped  in  from  the 
mountains.  There  are  three  beautiful  parks,  the  St. 
James,  the  Market-street  Plaza,  and  the  Washington 
Square,  in  which  are  the  State  Normal  School,  the  High 
School,  and  the  new  Carnegie  Public  Library.  St.  James 
Park  is  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  fronted  on  the  west  by 
the  Court  House  and  Hall  of  Records  and  St.  James 
Hotel,  on  the  north  by  the  St.  Claire  Club  and  on  the  east 
and  south  by  residences.  On  the  Market-street  plaza 
stands  a  fine  City  Hall,  and  near  it  are  the  imposing 
stone  postofiice  and  St.  Joseph's  Cathedral. 
Santa  Cruz  /        South  and  westerly  of  Santa  Clara  county  is  Santa 

County.    ^  .  .  ,  ..^.,.^.- 

Cruz,  as  attractive  a  section  as  there  is  m  Laliiornia,  a 
county  of  mountains  and  valley,  of  redwood  forests,  fruit- 
ful orchards,  long  stretches  of  beach  with  alluring  surf  for 
bathers  and  all  sorts  of  opportunities  for  boating  and 
yachting  upon  Monterey  bay  and  its  inlets- 


COAST   COUNTIES   TO    THE   SOUTH  149 

Santa  Cruz  county  is  one  of  the  famous  summer 
and  winter  resorts  of  tlie  State  and  many  wealthy  resi- 
dents of  San  Francisco  have  here  their  summer  homes. 
The  big  trees  of  the  Santa  Cruz  mountains  are  among  the 
State's  wonders  in  the  line  of  natural  attractions  and  the  ■ 
new  Sempervirens  park,  commonly  known  as  the  Big 
Basin  region,  is  destined  in  time  to  be  a  spot  through 
which  tourists  and  all  lovers  of  Nature  will  rove  and  revel^^ 

The  principal  city,  Santa  Cruz,  stands  just  within  the  ^°e°city°o/ 
northern  headland  of  the  bay  of  Monterey,  looking  south-  santacmz. 
ward.  From  the  sea-line  the  town  spreads  away  over 
bluff  and  terrace  and  cliff,  until  its  suburbs  merge  into 
the  rounded  curves  of  the  foothills,  and  these  again  lift 
themselves  to  the  shoulders  of  the  Santa  Cruz  mountains, 
which  attain  a  height  of  from  two  thousand  to  three 
thousand,  eight  hundred  feet.  This  range  forms  a  part 
of  the  system  of  Coast  mountains  and  its  trend,  follow- 
ing irregularly  that  of  the  coast,  holds  the  city  of  the 
Holy  Cross  in  a  natural  amphitheater,  protecting  it 
from  the  northwest  trade  winds.  Santa  Cruz,  with  its 
southerly  aspect  and  its  location,  snugly  tucked  away 
behiud  the  headland,  and  within  the  arms  of  the 
range,  enjoys  sunshine  and  an  exemption  from  fogs. 
Just  around  the  northern  headland  lies  spread  out  the 
bay  of  Monterey,  bordered  at  Santa  Cruz  by  a  broad, 
curving  beach,  a  gently  sloping  bed  of  fine  sand,  about 
one  hundred  yards  in  width  and  a  half  mile  in  length. 
The  surf  bathing  here  is  ideal  in  its  delight,  and  many 
enjoy  it  the  whole  year  round. 

The  mercury's  range  during  the  year  is  from  28°  ciimateof 
above  to  88°  above  Fahrenheit.  The  lower  temperature  is 
seldom  touched,  and  very  seldom  is  the  higher  figure 
exceeded  even  for  a  few  hours.  The  mean  annual  tem- 
perature for  a  term  of  years  was  59.5°.  The  variation 
between  the  three  warmest  months,  July,  August  and 
September  and  the  three  coldest,  December,  January  and 
February,  is  shown  by  the  averages,  which  are  62°  above 
for  the  summer  and  52°  above  for  the  winter,  a  difference 
of  but  10°. 


Attractions  of 
Santa  Cruz. 


150  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

The  average  rainfall  at  Santa  Cruz,  taken  from  a 
record  of  thirty- three  consecutive  years  is  25.26  inches, 
showing  that  this  is  a  well-watered  district.  The  rain- 
fall is  so  distributed  that  there  is  never  a  failure  of  crops 
for  lack  of  moisture. 

The  story  of  the  climate  in  Santa  Cruz  is  written  in 
flowers  rather  than  figures,  and  the  soberest  statistician 
rises  to  enthusiasm  when  he  tells  of  winter  gardens 
where  magnolias,  camellias,  and  roses  bloom  in  the  open 
air,  and  the  luxuriant  field  and  forest  blooms  which,  every 
month  in  the  year,  adorn  the  face  of  town  and  country. 

Santa  Cruz  possesses  advantages  equal  to  those  of  any 
city  of  eight  thousand  population  in  the  country  and 
superior  to  those  of  many  places  of  like  size.  It  supports 
a  large  and  well-equipped  library;  owns  its  water  works,  a 
system  that  brings  into  every  house  and  garden,  without 
charge,  for  domestic  purposes  an  abundant  supply  of  the 
purest  of  mountain  water;  has  a  complete  system  of 
sewers  approved  by  the  late  Colonel  Waring  ;  maintains  a 
street  arc  lighting  plant,  a  public  park  and  a  capital  fire 
department.  The  streets  are  in  good  condition,  the  prin- 
cipal ones  paved  with  the  native  bituminous  rock,  and 
three  miles  of  the  other  streets  are  macadamized.  The 
cliff  drive,  six  miles  in  length,  was  built  by  the  city  which 
also  owns  a  salt  water  pumping  plant  for  street  sprinkling 
of  local  invention  and  construction.  Santa  Cruz  acquired 
by  bequest  of  Jose  Vicente  de  Laveaga,  an  estate  of  five 
hundred  and  sixty-five  acres  of  hill,  vale,  grove  and 
canyon,  commanding  some  of  the  finest  views  in  the 
county. 
Cheap  Transportation  and  shipping  facilities  by  two  lines  of 

Transporta-         ..  -  ., .  - 

tion.  railway  and  by  ocean  steamers  and  sailing  vessels  are 
good,  and  are  in  process  of  expansion.  The  harbor  is  a 
safe  one  and  susceptible  of  great  improvement.  Piers, 
wharves  and  water-front  facilities  of  much  greater  capacity 
than  those  existing  await  the  judicious  investor,  whose 
study  of  the  resources  of  the  county  and  of  the  needs  of 
new  Oriental  markets  will  assure  him  of  the  profitable 
results  of  such  enterprise. 


\ 


152  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


The  Big 
Basin. 


The  Big  Basin  is  a  large  tract  of  virgin  forest,  lying 
in  the  mountains  on  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
county,  and  holding  many  specimens  of  even  greater  size 
than  those  just  mentioned.  This  vast  forest  holds  the 
best  specimens  of  every  tree,  shrub  and  flower,  native  to 
Santa  Cruz  county,  is  a  cover  for  wild  game  of  many  sorts, 
and  as  a  state  park  will  be  kept  sacred  from  the  axe  of  the 
lumberman. 

the  County.  Where    the    lumberman    and   the  logger   have    left 

mountain  sides  desolate  and  stump-studded,  the  farmer, 
the  wine-maker  and  the  fruit  grower  have  possessed  the 
land.  The  specialty  of  Santa  Cruz  is  infinite  variety.  In 
lumber  products  she  ranks  third  is  the  State.  Her  butter, 
cheese  and  cream  might  well  win  her  a  place  in  the  dairy 
districts.  Hay,  grain,  potatoes  and  the  whole  range  of 
cereals  and  vegetables  give  enormous  yields  per  acre,  and 
oranges  are  raised  for  home  consumption,  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  lemon  for  market  is  successful  and  profitable. 
From  the  summits  of  the  range  more  than  two  thousand 
feet  above  the  sea,  down  to  the  wide  and  fruitful  valleys 
along  the  bay  coast  grows  and  flourish  a  range  of  most 
delicious  fruits  which  few  points  may  successfully  rival. 
Prunes,  pears,  apricots,  lemons,  peaches,  cherries,  Japan 
and  native  plums,  figs,  walnuts,  persimmons,  olives  and 
'  nectarines  thrive,  but  the  crop  in  which  the  largest  profit 
is  found  is  that  of  apples.  The  quality  and  size  are 
ri^ne  astonishing-j  and  yield  per  acre  quite  as  much  so.  From 
Apple  Bellefleurs  in  September  to  Newton  Pippins  in  December 
the  supply  is  steady  and  the  work  of  harvesting  and  ship- 
ping drives  the  orchardist  merrily.  From  two  depots  in  the 
county,  in  a  recent  season,  there  were  shipped  to  Eastern 
points  exclusive  of  other  sales,  128,596  boxes  of  apples, 
weighing  6,429,809  pounds.  The  market  for  Santa  Cruz 
county  apples  now  extends  to  England  and  the  continent, 
Germany  being  a  large  buyer,  and  the  acreage  in  bearing 
supplies  not  less  than  200,000  boxes  annually.  The 
especial  home  of  the  apple,  as  well  as  of  the  strawberry 
in  this  county,  is  the  fertile  valley  of  Pajaro. 

On  the  mountain  slopes  vines  flourish,  and  the  wines 


COAST   COUNTIES   TO   THE    SOUTH  153 

of  the  county  have  won  special  fame  in  competitions  in 
Eastern  cities  as  w^ell  as  in  Europe.  Vineyards  dot  the 
hillsides  back  of  Santa  Cruz  and  far  into  the  interior.  The 
Ben  Lomond  wines  of  Santa  Cruz  won  medals  at  the  Chi- 
cago Exhibition  as  well  as  at  Bordeaux  and  Paris.  Table 
grapes  also  thrive  luxuriantly  and  find  ready  markets  close 
at  hand. 

Sugar  beet  raising,  dairying,  market  gardening,  small 
fruits  including  strawberries,  blackberries,  and  logan- 
berries, and  poultry  raising  are  also  among  the  attractive 
industries,  while  the  deep-sea  fishing  of  Monterey  bay 
forms  not  only  an  attraction  for  sportsmen,  but  is  of  great 
commercial  value. 

Bordering  the  shore  of  Monterey  bay,  below  Santa  o/J^jjfo^J^ 
Cruz  county,  is  the  County  of  Monterey,  comprising  3,450 
square  miles,  and  directly  south  of  Monterey  on  the  coast 
is  the  small  principality  of  San  Luis  Obispo.  These 
counties  are  about  equal  in  area  and  of  similar  character- 
istics, although  residents  of  each  claim  peculiar  qualities 
of  air,  soil  and  climate  which  make  their  homeland  the 
best. 

Monterey  is  best  known  without  the  State  for  two 
things  ;  one,  old  Monterey,  the  former  capital  of  Cali- 
fornia, on  Monterey  bay,  where  Commodore  Sloat  raised 
the  stars  and  stripes  over  half  a  century  ago  ;  the  other, 
the  Hotel  del  Monte,  a  famed  resort  for  tourists,  who  find 
here  a  garden  spot  the  year  round  with  all  the  luxuries 
that  the  highest  civilization  can  demand. 

Del  Monte  is  one  of  the  central  gathering  points  for  oei  Monte 

°  .  Where  Society 

fashionable  Californians.  Here  in  the  summer  time  are  Gathers. 
held  golf  and  tennis  tournaments,  polo  matches,  swimming 
contests,  and  the  many  other  forms  of  sport  in  which 
society  delights.  Under  and  among  the  spreading  oaks 
are  wonderful  gardens,  while  flowers  bloom  luxuriantly 
and  as  freely  in  December  as  in-June.  Salmon  fishing  in 
Monterey  bay  is  great  sport  and  Del  Monte  is  the  head- 
quarters for  anglers  who  pride  themselves  in  making 
records  in  landing  these  monster  food  fish. 


154  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

Around  Del  Monte  and  Monterey  are  many  picturesque 
drives,  one  being  the  well-known  seventeen-mile  drive  to 
the  old  Carmel    mission   on  Carmel   bay,    where    is   fast 
growing  up  a  small  city  of  attractive  homes, 
ohttauqua^*  Pacific   Grovc  between  Monterey  and  Carmel   is  an 

old  established  colony,  built  up  originally  by  members  of 
the  Methodist  denomination.  This  is  a  famous  summer 
seaside  resort,  the  attractive  forests  and  sea-bathing  draw- 
ing many  people  here  for  quiet  recreation.  Here  is  held 
annually  the  convention  of  the  Pacific  Coast  Chatauquans, 
and  other  organizations  find  this  an  agreeable  spot  to  as- 
semble at  any  time  of  the  year.  Near  Monterey  has 
recently  been  established  a  government  military  post, 
where  are  quartered  the  year  round  between  one  and  two 
thousand  men. 

surroundin''8^  The  couuty  scat  of  Monterey  is  Salinas,  a  thriving 

city  on  the  Salinas  river,  not  far  from  the  coast.  The  city 
is  in  the  upper  end  of  the  great  Salinas  valley.  It  is 
bounded  on  the  west  by  the  Santa  Lucia  mountains  and 
on  the  east  by  the  Gabilan  range,  being  from  five  to  twenty- 
five  miles  wide,  and  is  traversed  from  north  to  south  by  the 
Salinas  river.  Through  this  valley  runs  the  coast  line  of 
the  Southern  Pacific,  the  picturesque  route  to  the  East. 
About  five  miles  west  of  Soledad,  on  the  east  slope  of  the 
Santa  Lucia  mountains,  are  the  Paraiso  Hot  Springs,  con- 
taining arsenic,  sulphur  and  soda  springs.  Salinas  has  a 
population  of  over  4,000  and  is  a  place  of  great  business 
enterprise,  containing  handsome  residences  and  fine  busi- 
ness blocks.  The  Southern  Pacific  has  just  fi-nished  here 
the  construction  of  an  oil  tank  with  a  capacity  of  over 
1,000,000  gallons,  to  supply  engines  with  oil  for  fuel. 
About  four  miles  from  Salinas  is  the  Spreckels  Sugar  Fac- 
tory, the  largest  in  the  world  with  a  capacity  of  about  four 
hundred  and  fifty  tons  of  raw  or  refined  sugar  per  day. 
The  3,000  tons  of  beets  consumed  by  the  factory  on  each 
running  day  furnish  profitable  employment  for  hundreds 
of  farmers. 

Down  in  the  southern  part  of  Monterey  county  is  Mis- 
sion San  Antonio,  another  one  of  those  historic  monuments 


Mission 
San  Antonio. 


156  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

to  the  self-sacrificing  of  the  Franciscan  fathers  who  planted 
here  these  many  outposts  of  civilization  and  religion.  San 
Antonio  is  one  of  the  most  attractive  missions  and  its  loca- 
tion at  this  point  tells  as  all  other  missions  tell  of  the  rare 
judgment  of  the  founders  concerning  excellence  of  climate 
and  soil  in  this  region. 

Few  counties  of  the  State  show  more  steady  advances 
than  San  Luis  Obispo,  the  county  that  takes  its  name  from 
the  mission  that  was  established  here  in  1772. 

Polytechnic  ^^  ^^^  ^^^^  Obispo  hasbccn  established  the  Cali- 

schooi.  fornia  Polytechnic  School,  a  State  institution  where  scien- 
tific agriculture  as  well  as  the  trades  are  to  be  taught.   The 
school  is  located  on  a  tract  of  280  acres  near  the  city  and 
it  promises  to  be  one  of  the  notable  institutions  of  a  State 
■  already  famed  for  its  educational  opportunities. 

The  city  of  San  Luis  Obispo  is  a  thriving  one,  with 
its  harbor  at  Port  Harford,  just  over  the  hills  to  the  west- 
ward,   and    surrounded    on    all    sides    by    fertile    valleys 
peopled  with  enterprising  settlers. 
pasoRobies  Near  the  city  is  the  Hotel  Ramona,  and  northerly,  on 

Santa  Ysabei  the  coast  Hue  of  railway,  is  El  Paso  de  Robles — The  Pass 
pnngs.  ^p  Oaks — noted  for  its  hot  springs  ;  and  beyond  is  Santa 
Ysabei,  destined  also  before  many  years  to  be  widely  known 
as  one  of  the  spots  set  apart  for  the  ' '  healing  of  the  nations. " 
At  Paso  Robles  is  one  of  the  largest  tourist  hotels  in  the 
State,  and  each  year  its  charms  of  surroundings  and  of 
climate  are  becoming,  better  known,  drawing  there  hun- 
dreds who  seek  rest  and  health. 

Concerning  the  county  characteristics  a  recent  writer 
says  : 
obfspoprit  "  Chiefly  pastoral,  even  as  the  Spanish  made  it,  San 

and  Present.  Luis  Obispo  was  loug  kept  by  the  pioneer  Americans. 
Wonderfully  rich  lands  for  cereal  crops  there  were  as  men 
discovered,  but  thousands  of  acres  on  great  Spanish 
grants,  since  subdivided,  sold  and  farmed,  were  long  used 
for  pasturage.  For  a  quarter  of  a  century  after  the 
Americans  came  to  these  great  grants,  some  thirty-five  in 
number,  and  ranging  from  two  or  three  thousand  acres  to 


COAST  COUNTIES  TO  THE  SOUTH  157 

thirty  or  forty  thousand  acres,  prevented  modern  progress, 
just  as  they  did  in  Los  Angeles.  Beautiful  ranches  with 
most  musical  names, — Asuncion,  Huasna,  Nipomo,  Paso 
de  Robles,  Santa  Ysabel — they  collectively  held  nearly 
half  a  million  acres  from  full  use.  Now  that  they  are 
sold  to  Americans,  subdivided,  improved,  until  there  are  Breaking  up 
really  uo  large  ranches  left,  except  Piedras  Blancas,  the  RancUs. 
property  of  Mrs.  Hearst,  away  up  in  the  northwestern 
corner  of  the  county,  and  Santa  Margarita  at  the  head  of 
the  Salinas.  There  is  plenty  of  land  for  sale,  land  of  all 
sorts,  at  all  prices,  in  all  kinds  of  situations,  but,  fortun- 
ately for  San  Luis  Obispo,  speculative  period  based  on  the 
great  Spanish  ranches  has  come  and  gone,  as  it  did  in  Los 
Angeles  years  ago. 

"Gone  are  the  vaqueros,  with  their  ringing  spurs,  sweep- 
ing by  moonlight  down  the  canyons,  gone  are  the  merry 
sheep-shearers  galloping  from  ranch  to  ranch,  or  spending 
their  summer's  hard  earnings  on  a  spree  in  town.  Gone 
are  the  shambling,  half-crazy  shepherds  that  one  used  to 
find  in  the  hills,  or  on  the  plains  shaking  their  forlorn 
heads,  screaming  wildly  at  their  collies  or  huddled  over 
their  campfires  in  the  hollows  at  dusk,  in  the  midst  of 
fretful  sheep.  Instead  of  all  this  there  has  come  to  San 
Luis  Obispo,  slowly,  surely,  as  all  worthwhile  things  come, 
knowledge  of  her  unique  position  as  a  great,  growing,  rich 
and  deservedly  famous  dairy  county.  Hardly  elsewhere  Re^on^^^^"^^ 
in  xALmerica  has  there  been  a  more  uniform  record  of  suc- 
cess as  among  the  dairymen,  both  landowners  and  renters 
of  the  San  Luis  coast." 

The  average  season's  rainfall  has  been  at  the  city  of 
San  Luis  Obispo  during  the  past  thirty-two  years,  twenty- 
one  inches.  Grain,  beans,  seeds,  live  stock  of  all  kinds, 
butter,  cheese,  oranges,  lemons,  apples,  pears,  peaches, 
prunes,  apricots,  olives,  grapes,  berries  and  vegetables — 
in  fact  all  fruits  of  the  temperate  and  semi-tropical  zones — 
ocean  fish  and  bivalves,  building  stone,  bituminous  rock, 
asphaltum,  chrome,  manganese,  quicksilver,  copper,  gold 
and  springs  of  great  medicinal  value  are  among  the  pro- 
ductions of  San  Luis  Obispo  county. 


158 


CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


Picturesque 
Coast  Towns. 


In  San  Benito 
County. 


Transportation  facilities  are  unexcelled.  The  great 
transcontinental  highway  of  the  Southern  Pacific  between 
San  Francisco  and  Los  Angeles  crosses  the  county  from 
north  to  south  through  the  cities  of  San  Miguel,  Paso 
Robles,  Templeton,  Santa  Margarita,  San  Luis  Obispo, 
Edna,  Oceano,  and  the  Oso  Flaco  section.  The  Pacific 
Coast  Railway  comes  from  the  south  northward  through 
Nipomo,  Los  Berros,  Arroyo  Grande,  Edna  and  San  Luis 
Obispo,  terminating  at  Port  Harford  on  the  Pacific  ocean, 
affording  an  ocean  outlet  as  well  as  a  rail  outlet  to  the 
products  of  the  county.  The  Pacific  Coast  Steamship  Com- 
pany's vessels  touch  at  San  Simeon,  Cayucos  and  Port 
Harford.  Numerous  other  good  landing  points  are  avail- 
able for  independent  lines  as  competition  may  make  desir- 
able. A  third  railroad,  the  Midland  Pacific,  from  the  San 
Joaquin  Valley  to  tide-water  at  Port  Harford  is  now  in 
course  of  construction.  Schools  are  noted  for  their  excel- 
lence, the  substantial  support  given  them  and  their 
thorough  equipment.  Graduates  of  the  San  Luis  Obispo 
high  school  are  accredited  to  the  universities  of  the  State. 

A  San  Luis  Obispo  resident  writes: 

"  A  home  in  San  Luis  Obispo  county  can  be  bought  at  a 
lower  price  (climate  and  fertility  of  soil  considered),  than 
elsewhere  in  California.  This  has  been  an  unknown  coun- 
try, and  consequently,  land  values  are  lower  to-day  than 
they  were  ten  years  ago  in  the  better  known  parts  of  the 
State.  The  coast  road  places  this  county  on  the  main  line 
of  travel  and  the  first  persons  to  take  advantage  of  the  new 
conditions  will  secure  homes  that  are  not  only  productive 
farms  but  that  will  double  in  value  as  the  country  becomes 
more  thickly  settled." 

Easterly  from  Monterey  made  up  of  mountains  and 
valleys  of  the  Coast  Range  is  San  Benito  county,  a  sec- 
tion rich  in  minerals  and  fast  coming  to  the  fore  as  a  pro- 
ducer of  fruits  of  all  sorts  as  well  as  of  hay  and  grain,,  and 
oil.  The  county  seat  is  HoUister  reached  by  a  branch  of 
the  Southern  Pacific  coast  line,  connecting  at  Gilroy.  A 
rich  product  of  the  county  is  quicksilver.  The  New  Idria 
quicksilver  mine  holds  immense  deposits  of  cinnabar. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

MOUNTAIN  COUNTIES.  Renewed  Gold  Mining  of  Recent  Years— Old  Mines 
Being  Worked  and  New  Ones  Found  and  Prospectors  Busy — The  Mother 
Lode  a  Treasure  Bed — Riches  of  Plumas,  Mono  and  Inyo  Counties  — 
Cattle  Ranges  of  Modoc  and  Lassen — Among  the  Lava  Beds — Making 
Paper  From  Pine  Trees — Where  Sportsmen  May  Revel — A  Mountain 
Region  for  Hunting  and  Fishing  a  Hundred  Times  the  Size  of  the  Adi- 
rondacks — In  Owens  Valley — Marble,  Moss  Agates,  Salt,  and  Borax  — 
Death  Valley  and  Its  Nitrates — A   Region  of  Arabian  Nights  Romance. 


Bright  land  of  summery  days  and  golden  peace, 
Of  vine  and  flower  and  ever  rich  increase  ; 
Of  veined  hills  and  mountains  treasure  stored. 
Where  miser-gnomes  in  secret  watch  their  hoard. 

— John  R.  Ridge. 


PROBABLY  no  section  of  California  offers  greater 
opportuuities  to  the  man  of  limited  means  than 
that  region  of  the  State  included  in  this  chapter, 
the  mountain  counties.  Under  this  designation  are  in- 
cluded the  counties  of  Modoc,  Lassen,  Plumas,  Sierra, 
Alpine,  Mono,  and  Inyo,  listed  in  geographical  order 
from  north  to  south.  All  of  these  counties  are  in  the 
Sierra  Nevada  region;  some,  like  Alpine,  almost  entirely 
mountainous,  high  among  the  ridges  of  the  Sierra  Ne- 
vada, but  others  like  Lassen  and  Plumas  containing  long 
stretches  of  valley  and  meadow  unsurpassed  for  graz- 
ing and  cattle  raising.  Others,  still,  like  Mono  and 
Inyo,  are  mineral  in  character,  although  Inyo  with  its 
fertile  Owens  river  valley  has  been  coming  to  the  front 
of  recent  years  as  an  agricultural  region  of  remarkable 
possibilities.  Up  in  these  mountain  counties  among  the 
pines  are  all  conditions  for  the  rugged  health  ever  a 
tribute  of  the  mountaineer.  Here  are  snow-crowned 
summits,  clear  lakes  of  almost  unfathomable  depths  and 
wonderful  views  that  make  those  of  famed  Switzerland 
like  toys  in  comparison. 


160  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

ticsT/AipTne.  Alpine  county  is  smallest  in  area  of  the  mountain 

counties,  and  was  so  named  by  the  pioneer  residents  be- 
cause of  its  alpine  features.  Its  elevation  ranges  from 
five  thousand  to  eleven  thousand  feet  above  sea  level.  Its 
present  population  does  not  exceed  one  thousand.  There 
is  room  here  with  the  resources  for  ten  times  that  number. 
The  citizens  rank  high  for  industry  and  intelligence  and 
are  proud  of  the  productive  possibilities  of  their  region. 
The  county  is  abundantly  supplied  with  timber  and  water, 
and  there  are  rich  minerals  in  all  sections.  Apples,  pears, 
plums,  peaches,  and  other  hardy  fruits  and  vegetables  do 
marvelously  well  in  the  mountain  valleys.  And  these  are 
characteristics  of  all  of  the  Sierra  valley  region. 

Overland  Rail-  Plumas  aud  Lasscu  couutics  are  small  empires,  the 

way  Across  -r  ' 

tiumas  latter  nearly  five  thousand  square  miles  in  area.   Throusfh 

County.  .  ^  .  . 

these  counties  runs  the  Nevada-California-Oregon  Rail- 
way northerly  from  Reno,  Nevada,  the  junction  point 
with  the  Southern  Pacific's  central  overland  line.  Mining 
developments  and  the  incoming  of  Eastern  and  European 
capital  have  drawn  attention  to  these  counties  and  much 
work  is  being  done  and  more  prospective.  The  line  of  the 
recently  organized  Western  Pacific  railway  will  cross 
Plumas  county  through  the  Beckwith  Pass,  known  to  the 
earliest  pioneers.  The  route  is  across  the  county  into 
Butte  county  down  into  the  Sacramento  valley.  This 
road  some  day,  the  projectors  claim,  will  be  the  western 
outlet  of  another  transcontinental  railway. 

Throughout  Modoc  and  Lassen  counties  are  vast  cattle 
ranges,  besides  mines,  tracts  of  timber  and  mountain  lakes 
that  are  the  delight  of  the  sportsman.  In  Modoc  county 
are  the  famous  lava  beds,  the  scene  years  ago  of  fiercely 
fought  Indian  campaigns.  An  industry  recently  developed 
is  the  utilizing  of  certain  varieties  of  pine  timber  for  the 
manufacture  of  pulp  from  which  paper  is  made. 
whataResi-  ^  resident  of  Susanville,  Lassen  county,  Mr.   T.   E. 

dent  of  Lassen  .  i  r  •  •  i        r  1 1         • 

Says.  Pardee,  writing  recently  of  that  section,  gives  the  following 
statement  concerning  opportunities  for  settlers,  and  facts 
here  given  may  be  applied  largely  to  the  other  mountain 
counties  with  similar  characteristics: 


162  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

*'A11  garden  vegetables  usually  grown  in  the  temperate 

zone   are  thrifty  and  productive  here;  potatoes,  cabbage, 

turnips,  carrots,  tomatoes,   squash,  etc.      Potatoes  sell  on 

the  averag^e  at  one  cent  per  pound,  tomatoes  at  two  cents. 

Mountain  We  raise  no  citrus  fruits,  but  apples,  pears,  plums,  prunes. 

Apples.  .  .  ..,.  ^  ' 

peaches,    apricots,     nectarines    and     cherries     are     good 

crops,  their  quality  being  excelled  by  none  grown  any- 
where. Apples  are  particularly  adapted  to  our  soil  and 
climate,  and  Lassen  county  apples  are  in  great  demand  on 
account  of  their  superior  quality.  We  have  some  large 
orchards  which  have  been  bearing  for  years.  We  ought 
to  be  setting  more  trees,  and  many  of  them,  every  year. 
Apples  are  packed  in  boxes  containing  about  fifty  pounds, 
and  sell  in  the  orchard  at  prices  ranging  from  sixty  cents 
to  one  dollar  per  box.  In  the  last  thirteen  j^ears  there  has 
not  been  an  entire  failure  in  the  apple  crop.  The  trees 
bear  more  heavily  some  years  than  others,  but  the  rule  is 
a  good  crop  every  year.  Pears  are  even  surer  than  apples, 
and  the  quality  of  Bartletts  and  other  varieties  grown  here 
is  superb.  Plums  are  steady  and  reliable  bearers,  as  are 
also  prunes,  and  quality  of  the  best.  Tlie  other  fruits 
mentioned  are  somewhat  less  reliable,  though  we  hardly 
ever  fail  to  have  a  fairly  good  crop  of  cherries,  while 
peaches  are  fully  as  sure  or  surer  here  than  they  are 
in  the  peach-growing  States  along  the  Atlantic  coast. 
Small  fruits  and  berries  are  thrifty  and  abundant.  We 
have  fine  strawberries  ever}^  season,  but  only  one  crop  per 
season. 

orchardsin  "There  is  a  splendid  opening  here  for  the  establish- 

the  High  r  JT  o 

Sierra,  nicut  of  a  iiurscry  business.  Orchards  are  bound  to  multi- 
ply in  number  and  increase  in  size.  Perhaps,  no  better 
use  could  be  made  of  a  large  portion  of  our  best  lands  than 
to  put  them  in  orchards,  for  apples  and  pears  will  give  as 
handsome  returns  as  almost  aii}'-  crop  that  can  be  grown, 
and  at  the  same  time  the  ground  may  be  utilized  for  the 
growth  of  alfalfa  without  detriment,  and,  indeed,  with  bene- 
fit, to  the  orchard.  Some  persons  who  read  this  may  not 
know  what  alfalfa  is.  It  is  of  the  clover  family,  and  is 
sometimes  called  Chilian  clover.      It  grows  very  rank  and 


THE   MOUNTAIN   COUNTIES  163 

makes  the  very  finest  feed  for  beef  cattle  and  dairy  cows. 
It  will  make  from  two  to  fonr  crops  per  year  under  favor- 
able conditions.  Here  two  crops  are  sure,  and  three  are 
often  cut.  After  the  last  cutting  it  affords  fine  pasture  for 
cattle,  horses  and  hogs.  It  yields,  with  two  cuttings,  forty- 
six  tons  per  acre.  The  second  year  after  seeding,  it  comes 
to  full  maturity  and  thereafter  with  proper  care,  will  con- 
tinue to  produce  year  after  year.  Alfalfa  does  not  im- 
poverish the  soil.  Its  roots  will  penetrate  to  the  depth  of 
twenty  feet  or  more,  reaching  for  moisture.  Hence,  on  all 
lands  where  moisture  is  near  the  surface  after  the  plant  is 
once  started,  becomes  independent  of  irrigation. 


Alfalfa  In 


"Let  us  consider  what  an  acre  of  alfalfa  will  do  for  its  „     ,  . 

Mountain 

owner.  On  one  hand,  we  have  the  cost  of  water  for  one  vaiieya. 
acre,  say  two  dollars.  (One  dollar  has  generally  been  the 
price.)  Labor  irrigating  one  acre,  one  dollar;  cutting  and 
putting  up  four  tons  of  ha}^  at  $1.50  per  ton  (it  is  often 
contracted  at  $1.25),  $6 — making  a  cost  of  $9  per  acre. 
On  the  other  hand,  we  have  four  tons  of  hay  worth  $5  per 
ton — $20,  leaving  a  net  profit  of  $11  per  acre,  or  ten  per 
cent,  return  of  $110.  Is  not  that  acre  then  worth  $100  or 
more?  And  that  same  acre  of  land,  and  at  the  same  time, 
will  grow  forty-eight  apples,  pears  or  other  fruit  trees 
which,  when  they  come  to  bearing — which  will  be  when 
they  are  four  or  five  j'^ears  old — will  yield  one  hundred 
boxes  of  apples  or  more  (it  is  liable  to  be  five  hundred)  or 
their  equivalent,  which  can  be  sold  at  the  very  least  for 
$50;  of  which  amount,  at  least  half  can  be  counted  as  clear 
gain. 

"If  any  such  there  be  in  the  East  who  have  heretofore 
suffered  from  the  extreme  heat  in  the  summer — that  moist, 
'  muggy '  heat  that  in  some  localities  so  oppresses  one  both 
da}'  and  night — let  him  come  to  this  upper  country  of  Cali- 
fornia, where  we  have  a  warm,  dry  summer,  seldom  op- 
pressive, even  in  the  middle  of  the  da}^,  and  with  night 
always  cool  enough  to  call  for  a  good  warm  blanket;  where 
occasionally  a  winter  may  sprinkle  enough  snow  to  make 
good  sleighing,  and  where  an  ice  crop  is  tolerably  certain; 
ut  where  even  in  winter  the  majority  of  the  days  are  fair 


164  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

and  pleasant,  and  hardly  ever  a  day  passes  that  it  is  not 
warm  enough  to  thaw  during  the  middle  hours  of  the  day. 
If  when  j'^ou  have  seen  us  and  our  country,  you  do  not  like 
us,  we  will  say  '  pursue  your  journey  and  peace  be  with 
you;'  but  if  you  should  conclude  to  cast  your  lot  with  us, 
we  will  give  you  a  hearty  welcome. 

"But  don't  come  with  an  idea  that  you  can  make  a 
fortune  without  work.       Here,  as  in  most  other  places,  in- 
telligent industry  is  the  only  sure  road  to  prosperity." 
The  Through  portions  of  Mono  and  Inyo  runs  the  Carson  & 

Sportsmen's  . 

Paradise.  Colorado  Railroad,  a  branch  of  the  Southern  Pacific  system 
with  its  junction  point  at  Reno,  on  the  central  overland 
line  of  the  Southern  Pacific.  Both  these  counties  are  rich 
in  minerals  and  in  Mono  county  are  the  old-time  mining 
camps  of  Bodie  and  Bridgeport,  and  throughout  the 
country  are  rich  deposits  that  are  constantly  attracting 
the  attention  of  prospectors  and  developers.  These  count- 
ies are  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierra  Nevada.  Up  in 
the  mountains  at  the  base  of  Mt.  Whitney,  Mt.  William- 
son and  other  peaks  is  the  vast  region  which  some  day  will 
be  known  to  the  world  of  sportsmen,  as  a  hunting  and  fish- 
ing paradise  a  hundred  times  the  area  of  the  Adirondacks. 

Weber  and  South  of  Plumas  couuty  aud  bounded  on  the  south  by 

Independence  .  .  .  "^ 

Lakes,  the  hcadwatcrs  of  the  Yuba  river  is  the  county  of  Sierra, 
rich  in  timber  and  minerals.  The  lumbering  industry  has 
developed  recently  at  the  town  of  Loyalton,  from  which  a 
branch  railroad  runs  to  the  main  line  of  the  Central  Pacific 
at  Boca.  In  this  county  are  Weber  Lake  and  Independ- 
ence Lake,  two  gems  in  the  Sierra  Nevada  setting,  and 
growing  yearly  as  attractive  summer  resorts.  In  the 
western  half  of  the  county,  where  mining  is  the  chief  in- 
dustry, the  growth  of  that  industry  has  been  steady.  The 
average  annual  gold  production  for  the  past  six  years  has 
been  about  $450,000,  and  its  entire  production  since  1850 
reaches  the  enormous  total  of  $200,000,000.  Most  notable 
has  been  the  construction  of  the  Bellevue  tunnel,  near 
Gibsonville.  The  purpose  of  the  tunnel  is  to  tap  the 
Thistle  shaft  channel.  At  the  Tabor  mine,  near  by,  a 
tunnel  is  being  run  to  tap  what  is  supposed  to  be  the  same 


Millions  in 
Cerro  Gordo. 


166  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

channel.   With  the  reopening  of  these  mines  the  prosperity 
of  northern  Sierra  will  be  greatly  marked. 

The  recent  discoveries  (1902)  at  Tonopah,  Nevada,  a 
camp  that  promises  to  rival  Virginia  City,  Dawson,  Crip-^ 
pie  Creek,  and  Johannesburg,  as  an  alluring  center  for 
gold  seekers,  have  brought  increased  prosperity  to  the 
valleys  of  Mono  and  Inyo,  in  making  a  nearby  market 
with  fast  growing  trade.  In  the  Owens  river  valley  in 
In3'^o  in  the  past  few  years  have  located  many  Quakers 
brought  thither  by  an  enterprising  colony  organization. 

At  Minnietta,  Inyo  County,  are  mines  which  produce 
steadily.  Cerro  Gordo's  silver-lead  output  from  its  dis- 
covery until  1876  has  been  estimated  at  $13,000,000.  Liti- 
gation closed  this  mine  for  years,  but  some  work  is  now 
being  done  there.  Darwin  is  another  old-time  important 
producer.  Beveridge  has  paid  many  thousands  of  dollars 
in  gold.  Valuable  quartz  and  placer  mines  are  being 
worked  in  the  mountains  east  of  Independence.  Along  the 
Sierra  foothills  some  limited  placer  mining  has  been  done. 
Recent  discoveries  near  Bishop  are  believed  to  be  of  much 
value.  The  White  Mountains  and  Inyo  range  (in  reality 
a  continuous  chain)  abound  in  ledges,  some  of  which  have 
long  been  worked  at  a  profit  but  many  more  are  untouched. 
At  Lead  Canyon,  southeast  of  Big  Pine,  mines  have  re- 
cently been  opened  and  are  proving  valuable.  At  Ubehebe, 
Saline  Valley,  are  immense  deposits  of  copper  yet  to  be- 
come important. 

In  other  mineral  substances  Inyo  county  is  also  rich. 
Deposits.  Great  deposits  of  borax  exist  and  are  profitably  worked  in 
the  southeastern  part  of  the  county,  in  Salt  Wells  valley 
and  in  Saline.  In  the  latter  region  are  also  unlimited 
quantities  of  the  purest  salt  known  to  commerce.  Near 
Keeler,  the  Inyo  Marble  Company  owns  a  veritable  moun- 
tain of  fine  marbles  of  every  hue;  the  finishings  of  the 
Mills  building  in  San  Francisco  came  from  these  quarries. 
The  Inyo  Development  Company  produces  thousands  of 
tons  of  soda  annually  by  evaporating  the  \vaters  of  Owens 
lake.  Near  Cerro  Gordo  is  an  abundant  supply  of  fine 
fire  clay.     A   soft,   attractive  building  stone   is    quarried 


Borax 

and  Salt 


Fertile 
Owens  Valley. 


168  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

near  Bishop  for  local  uses.  Buhr  stone,  pronounced  of  fine 
quality,  exists  near  Independence  station.  Northeast  of 
Big  Pine  the  foothills  are  whitened  by  a  wide  expanse  of 
low  grade  phosphate  deposits. 

Owens  valle}',  extending  nearly  all  the  length  of  the 
county's  western  edge,  contains  all  its  farming  land  and 
the  great  bulk  of  the  county's  population,  and  to  this  val- 
ley alone  is  reference  made  in  speaking  of  Inyo's  agri- 
cultural resources.  Owens  valley  is  approximately  one 
hundred  miles  long;  about  fifteen  miles  wide  at  Bishop; 
is  almost  cut  into  by  a  spur  of  the  Sierra  near  Fish 
:  Springs,  south   of  which    it    expands    to  a   width   of  six 

to  ten  miles.  It  contains  about  five  hundred  thou- 
sand acres  of  arable  land  of  which  one  hundred  and 
ninety  thousand  acres  are  now  held  under  patent. 
Scarcely  one-fifth  of  this  is  as  ^^et  materially  improved. 
The  Independence  land  officers  estimate  that  about  25,000 
acres  which  may  be  irrigated  from  existing  streams  or 
ditches,  remain  unclaimed.  A  much  greater  area  yet 
vacant  is  reclaim  able  by  artesian  or  storage  enterprises. 

The  soil  is  everywhere  fertile.  Along  the  foothills  and 
through  much  of  the  valley  it  is  sandy,  with  loam  along 
the  low  lands.  Alkali  is  found  in  this  better  soil,  but  not 
usually  in  sufficient  quantities  to  make  the  land  useless. 

Agricultural  lands  are  obtainable  at  prices  which,  in 
comparison  with  those  charged  in  many  less  fertile  sec- 
tions, are  very  low,  ranging  from  $1.25  an  acre  for  govern- 
ment locations  to  from  $10  to  $60  for  improved  tracts. 

NearS^aMUe  The  altitude  raugcs  from  three  thousand  six  hundred 

Above  the  Sea.  and  twenty  feet  at  Keeler  to  three  thousand  nine  hundred 
and  seven  at  Independence  station,  to  four  thousand  four 
hundred  and  fifty  at  Bishop  and  slightly  more  in  Round 
Valley.  Owing  to  this  and  the  dr}^  air,  the  climate  is  mild 
and  healthful.  The  dry  air  makes  one  hundred  degrees 
here  far  less  severe  than  the  much  lower  temperature  in  a 
moist  climate.  Owens  river  runs  the  valley's  full  length 
to  the  lake.  Its  flow  is  variable,  but  will  probably  average 
40,000  inches,  though  several  times  as  much  in  high  water 
seasons.      Bishop  creek,  the   second  largest  stream,  is   a 


THE    MOUNTAIN   COUNTIES  169 

river  in  itself  at  times.  There  are  seventeen  other  streams  ^*'^°'ie°''^ 
of  more  or  less  importance,  altogether  flowing  ordinarily 
12,000  to  15,000  inches — an  estimate  but  three-fourths  as 
large  as  another  at  hand.  There  are  probably  twenty 
smaller  streams,  each  carrying  from  fifty  inches  down. 
The  waters  of  the  river  are  diverted  through  seventeen 
main  ditches  and  canals.  Owens  lake  is  eight  miles  or 
more  in  width,  twenty  in  length,  and  is  fed  by  Owens 
river,  a  few  small  streams,  and  some  springs.  Having 
no  outlet,  and  being  subject  to  rapid  evaporation,  it  has  in 
the  course  of  ages  become  highly  charged  with  minerals. 
An  analysis  made  by  a  London  chemist,  shows  its  water  to 
have  a  specific  gravit}^  of  1.76,  and  to  be  impregnated 
with  carbonate,  chloride,  and  sulphate  of  sodium,  and  sul- 
phate and  silicate  of  potassium.  This  water  has  rare  cleans- 
ing properties,  and  medicinal  virtues  are  attributed  to  it. 
Its  mineral  character  has  given  rise  to  an  important  in- 
dustr}^  the  manufacture  of  soda.  The  liquid  is  pumped 
into  twenty  acres  or  more  of  shallow  vats,  where  evapora- 
tion by  the  summer  sun  leaves  the  solid  substances  to 
be  shoveled  up  by  thousands  of  tons,  then  refined  and 
marketed. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

CALIFORNIA  SOUTH  OF  TEHACHAPI.  Los  Angeles  and  Surroundings  — 
Orange  Groves  and  Climate — In  the  Footsteps  of  the  Padres — Resorts  and 
Valleys  and  Mountains  for  Invalids — Where  Water  Works  Wonders  — 
Recent  Development  of  Southern  Counties — Orange,  Olive  and  Lemon 
Groves — Increase  of  Orange  Shipments  East — The  Ostrich  Farm — Palm 
Springs,  Indio,  and  the  Country  Below  Sea  Level — Marvelous  Fertility  of 
Land  Once  Desert — Beautiful  Homes  of  Pasadena,  Los  Angeles,  Redlands 
and  Other  Southern  California  Towns — Santa  Barbara  and  Its  Mission  — 
Fruitful  Valleys  and  Foothills — English  Walnuts  and  Olives  —The  Outdoor 
School  at  NordhofF — The  New  Potter  Hotel  at  Santa  Barbara — Beans  of  Ven- 
tura, a  Wonderful  Crop — National  Soldiers'  Home  at  Santa  Monica — Profits 
of  Small  Farms  — Big  Hotels  for  Tourists  — Santa  Monica  Wharf  and  the 
San  Pedro  Breakwater — Santa  Catalina  Island — San  Diego  and  Coronado — 
Undeveloped  Mining  Resources — A  Rendezvous  for  Warships. 


And  the  children  shout,  and  an  oriole  sings 

Where  a  poppy  springs ; 

And  the  baby  wonders  and  cannot  guess 

Why  the  world  is  clad  in  such  loveliness. 

— C.  H.  Phelps. 


SUNSHINE,  pure  air,  fruits  and  flowers — these  are  the 
characteristics  of  all  California,  the  things  different 
from  other  parts  of  the  country,  and  these  character- 
istics differ  in  degree  throughout  the  great  State.  In  the 
region  south  of  the  Tehachapi  mountains,  for  example, 
covering  seven  counties,  there  are  more  oranges  raised 
than  any  other  kind  of  fruit,  but  experiments  each  year 
demonstrate  that  about  everything  that  can  grow  anywhere 
under  the  sun  will  thrive  here.  But  climate  and  open  air 
possibilities  twelve  months  of  the  year  form  the  big  asset 
of  this  region.  Drawn  b}"-  climatic  influences.  Father  Serra 
and  his  associates  located  the  San  Gabriel  mission  here  on 
their  march  northerly  over  a  century  ago;  then  grew  up 
near  the  mission  the  Los  Angeles  hacienda,  which  to-day 
has  given  way  to  one  of  the  most  prosperous  and  wide- 
awake of  American  cities. 


172  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

The  seven  south  counties  have  been  widely  advertised 
not  only  by  systematic  publication,  but  by  the  incoming  tide 
of  tourist  sigh.t-seers,  and  these  factors  have  drawn  here  a 
progressive  and  a  cultured  people — drawn  here  chiefly  by 
the  same  alluring  characteristics  that  constitute  the  chief 
drawing  charm  of  all  California — sunshine,  pure  air,  fruits 
and  flowers. 

cJufornia  '^^^  south  California  region  is  a  wonderland,  no  ques- 

wonderiand.  tiou  about  that.  Here  in  the  past  thirty  years  has  been 
developed  a  region  of  tremendous  fertility,  of  prosperous 
homes,  one  big  city  of  about  150,000  people  and  the  center 
of  a  surrounding  country  nearly  as  large  as  all  of  England. 
Here  is  a  region  that  beckons  as  all  California  beckons  to- 
day to  the  people  who  love  open  air,  who  are  weary  of  cold 
and  ice  and  snow  and  slush  and  sleet,  tired  of  being  tightly 
housed  four  or  five  months  of  the  year,  who  seek  health 
and  strength  and  fortune  in  a  country  of  climatic  comfort. 

This  section  includes  the  counties  of  Los  Angeles, 
Orange,  San  Bernardino,  Riverside,  San  Diego,  Ventura 
and  Santa  Barbara.  The  area  of  this  region  is  about  equal 
to  that  of  Pennsylvania.  The  population,  in  1880,  was  64,- 
371,  or  7i  per  cent  of  the  population  of  the  State.  In  1890 
it  was  201,352,  or  about  16^  per  cent  of  the  population  of 
the  State.  To-day  it  is  about  400,000,  or  nearly  one- 
quarter  of  the  whole  population  of  the  State. 
Topographical  ^  glaucc   at  the  map  will  show  the  reader  best  the 

Peculiarities.  ^  -r 

topographical  peculiarities  of  this  attractive  region,  show 
the  sheltering  mountains  that  crowd  the  valleys  and  en- 
close these  south  counties  in  their  sheltering  arms.  The 
center  of  this  section,  and  the  second  city  of  California  in 
population,  is  Los  Angeles.  Built  near  the  site  chosen  by 
the  Franciscan  fathers  for  a  mission  in  1771,  during  the 
past  twenty  years  Los  Angeles  has  grown  from  a  popula- 
tion of  11,000  in  1880  to  102,479  by  the  census  of  1900. 
The  present  population  is  estimated  at  nearly  150,000. 
There  are  three  leading  features  that  have  contributed  to 
such  growth.  These  are  climate,  soil  and  location.  Any 
one  of  these  advantages  would  be  sufiicient  to  build  up  a 
large  city,  but  taken  together  they  insure  the  future  of 


CALIFORNIA   SOUTH   OF   TEHACHAPI  173 

the  city  as  the  metropolis  of  the  southwestern  portion  of 
the  United  States. 

The  census  of  1880  gave  Los  Angeles  a  population  of  Jp'p'Jf^^Jf^g 
11,311.  Business  was  dull,  and  there  was  no  sign  that  the  otLosAngeies. 
city  was  on  the  eve  of  a  marvelous  growth.  Five  years 
later,  on  November  9,  1885,  the  last  spike  was  driven  in 
the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  railway  at  the  Cajon  Pass,  thus 
completing  a  new  overland  route.  From  that  time  the 
growth  of  the  city  was  wonderfully  rapid.  The  great  real 
estate  boom  of  1885-7  is  a  matter  of  history,  as  is  also  the 
wonderful  manner  in  which  Los  Angeles  held  up  under 
the  reaction  that  inevitably  followed  the  collapse  of  the 
over-speculation  at  that  period.  Twelve  years  ago  there 
was  not  a  single  paved  street  in  the  city.  There  are  to- 
day over  200  miles  of  graded  and  graveled  streets,  over  20 
miles  of  paved  streets,  350  miles  of  cement  and  asphalt 
sidewalk,  and  160  miles  of  sewers.  Los  Angeles  has  a 
complete  sewer  system,  including  an  outfall  sewer  to  the 
ocean. 

The  city  possesses  the  great  natural  advantage  of  Exports  of 
being  located  on  the  shortest  route,  by  the  easiest  grades, 
between  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  oceans.  The  merchants 
of  Los  Angeles  do  a  large  business  with  a  section  of 
country  extending  from  the  eastern  limits  of  Arizona  to 
Fresno  on  the  north.  The  principal  articles  of  export  are 
fruits,  fresh  and  dried;  potatoes  and  vegetables,  beans, 
wine  and  brandy,  wool,  honey,  canned  goods,  sugar,  wheat, 
corn  and  barley.  Wheat  is  sometimes  shipped  from  one 
of  the  ports  of  Los  Angeles  county  direct  to  Europe.  As 
the  commercial  metropolis  of  the  southwest,  the  city  is 
becoming  an  important  factor  of  wholesale  trade,  the  mer- 
chants supplying  the  large  territory  extending  from  New 
Mexico  on  the  southeast  to  Fresno  on  the  north. 

The  banks  of  Los  Angeles  are  noted   throughout  the  s^ownbythe 
country  for  their  solid  and  prosperous  condition,  with  de-  ciearinga. 
posits  aggregating  $35,000,000.     The  clearings  of  the  Los 
Angeles  city  banks,  for  the  year  1901  amounted  to  over 
$162,378,058,  an  increase  of  nearly  32  per  cent  over  1900, 
and  of  more  than   100  per  cent  over  1898.     For  1902  the 


174  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

bank  clearings  aggregated  $245,516,112.  The  clearings 
for  the  first  six  months  of  1902  amounted  to  $118,895,060, 
as  compared  with  $78,504,220  for  the  first  half  of  1901. 
Two  transcontinental  lines  enter  Los  Angeles  and  work 
has  commenced  on  a  third,  by  way  of  Southern  Nevada  and 
Utah,  which  may  shorten  the  distance  from  Los  Angeles 
to  Chicago  over  200  miles.  This  company  has  been  organ- 
ized by  a  syndicate  of  capitalists  headed  by  Senator  W.  A. 
Clark  of  Montana,  who  have  acquired  the  Terminal  rail- 
way as  the  Pacific  Coast  end  of  the  new  transcontinental 
line,  which  will  open  up  to  Los  Angeles  a  section  in  south- 
ern Utah  and  Nevada  that  is  marvelously  rich  in  coal,  iron, 
silver  and  other  minerals.  The  company  is  known  as  the 
San  Pedro,  Los  Angeles  and  Salt  Lake  railway.  The  Pa- 
cific Coast  Steamship  Company  runs  vessels  every  few 
days  from  Los  Angeles  county  ports  to  San  Francisco  and 
San  Diego. 
Arteries^of  Through  Los   JVugclcs   pass  daily  the  through  over- 

land trains  of  the  Southern  Pacific  Sunset  Route,  and  here 
is  the  western  terminus  of  the  vast  Santa  Fe  system. 
Northerly  from  Los  Angeles  extend  the  two  main  lines  of 
the  Southern  Pacific,  one  reaching  San  Fraucisco  by  the 
picturesque  coast  line  by  way  of  Santa  Barbara,  the  other 
over  the  Tehachapi  Pass  through  the  fertile  San  Joaquin 
valley,  one  of  the  great  grain  and  fruit  producing  regions 
of  the  world.  Branches  of  these  two  great  railway  systems 
extend  in  all  directions  throughout  the  southern  counties, 
affording  frequent  communication  between  hundreds  of  out- 
lying towns  that  are  fast  growing  into  cities. 
Spacious  'X'lie  homes  of  Los  Angeles  form  the  city's  most  strik- 

Homes  "  _  -^ 

Embowered  in  {-j^cr  feature — homcs  of  artistic  architecture,  surrounded  by 

Flowers. 

palms,  orange  trees,  wide  stretches  of  lawn,  and  fragrant 
flowers.  Everywhere,  everything  tells  of  the  outdoor  life 
that  is  possible  all  the  year  round.  At  Christmas  may  be 
seen  hedges  of  calla  lilies,  geranium  bushes  ten  feet  and 
more  in  height,  and  heliotrope  covering  the  sides  of  a 
house,  while  the  jasmine,  tuberose  and  orange  make  the 
air  heavy  with  their  delicious  perfume.  Giant  bananas 
wave  their  graceful  leaves  in  the  gentle  breeze,  and  often 


Lifejln  the 
Open  Air. 


CALIFORNIA    SOUTH    OF    TEHACHAPI  175 

ripen  their  fruit;  the  fan  and  date  palm  grow  to  mammoth 
proportions,  and  roses  of  a  thousand  varieties  run  riot.  A 
majority  of  the  residences  stand  in  spacious  grounds,  a  lot 
of  fifty  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  being  the  smallest 
occupied  by  a  house  of  any  pretension.  Many  have  from 
one  to  five  acres  of  ground,  all  in  a  high  state  of  cultiva- 
tion. Along  the  sides  of  the  streets  shade  trees  are  the 
rule,  the  favorite  varieties  being  the  graceful  pepper  which 
grows  to  a  great  size,  the  eucalyptus  and  the  grevilla. 
Everyone  keeps  out  of  doors. 

The  horses  here  have  a  busy  time  of  it,  and  driving 
and  horseback  riding  have  long  passed  the  luxury  phase 
— they  are  necessities.  The  bicycle  agents  sell  more  wheels 
in  proportion  to  the  population  than  in  any  other  city  in 
the  world.  The  miles  of  smooth  streets,  the  inviting  shade 
trees,  the  alluring  wayside  hotels,  the  hundreds  of  valley 
and  mountain  resorts  through  all  this  region,  all  invite  ex- 
cursions afoot,  awheel,  by  carriage  or  automobile. 

The  street  railway  sj^stem  has  recently  been  consoli- 
dated and  perfected  so  that  now  there  are  somewhere  near 
two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  track,  nearl}'  all  fitted  with 
the  most  modern  electric  equipment.  In  addition  to  the 
local  electric  lines,  suburban  electric  roads  extend  from 
Los  Angeles  to  Santa  Monica,  Redondo  and  Long  Beach — 
all  little  cities  by  the  sea — Pasadena,  and  Altadena,  Al-  a  perfect 
hambra,  San  Gabriel  and  other  attractive  points  included  Ra'^iiway 
in  a  radius  of  fifty  miles  of  the  city.  This  suburban  sys-  ^y^*«™- 
tem  will  soon  comprise  over  six  hundred  miles  of  electric 
railway.  Hotels  are  the  best,  and  there  are  countless  apart- 
ment houses  and  boarding  houses,  where  living  is  good  and 
reasonable.  The  principal  hotels  are  the  Van  Nuys,  West- 
minster, Angelus,  Hollenbeck  andNadeau.  As  the  figures 
of  population  indicate,  the  growth  of  recent  years  has  been 
marvelous;  the  building  in  the  business  and  residence  dis- 
tricts both  is  going  forward  rapidly.  During  the  first  six 
months  of  1902,  the  value  of  buildings  erected  in  Los 
Angeles  amounted  to  $3,390,000,  and  for  the  entire  year 
$9,612,331. 

In  matters  of  climate  and  of  soil  products,  what  is 


176  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

^^^^Modei  true  of  Los  Angeles  county  is  true  of  a  large  portion  of 
Temperatures,  ^j^^  couuties  of  tliis  region.  The  following  table  shows  the 
average  maximum  and  minimum  temperature  in  Los  An- 
geles for  the  twenty  years  from  1880  to  1900,  the  figures 
being  furnished  by  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau: 

Max.  Min.                                                  Max.  Min. 

January 76  34  July 93  52 

February 79  36  August 95  f«3 

March 82  38  September 97  49 

April 87  42  October 90  44 

May 90  44  November 86  39 

June 92  48  December 80  36 

The  lowest  temperature  recorded  during  this  entire 
period  was  28  degrees,  and  during  the  entire  period  of 
twenty  years,  there  were  only  six  periods  in  which  the 
temperature  fell  below  the  freezing  point.  Even  on  these 
occasions  this  temperature  was  maintained  for  only  a 
limited  time,  generally  in  the  early  morning.  In  con- 
sidering the  summer  temperature,  it  should  be  remembered 
that  the  climate  of  California  is  so  free  from  moisture  that, 
as  stated,  a  temperature  of  100  degrees  here  is  far  more 
comfortable  than  one  of  80  degrees  on  the  Atlantic  coast. 
This  is  proved  by  the  fact  that  farm  laborers  continue  to 
work  in  the  open  fields  during  the  hottest  periods,  while 
sunstroke  is  unknown. 

In    ''California  of  the   South,"  Dr.   Walter  Lindley 
writes  as  follows  in  regard  to  the  influence  of  this  climate 
upon  invalids: 
The  Mecca  of  "The  cascs  which  may  hope  for  benefit  by  coming  to 

theSIokand  ./.  •  r  -i     r 

Worn.  California,  are,  first  and  foremost,  the  feeble  and  invalid 
from  whatever  cause;  those  who  find  the  drain  upon  vi- 
tality in  a  harsh  climate  too  great  for  them;  who  have 
need  to  spend  a  considerable  portion  of  each  day  in  the 
open  air,  yet  who  in  their  own  climate  are  prevented  from 
so  doing  by  the  inclemency  of  the  weather;  those  who 
need  clear  skies  and  sunshine,  to  whom  the  refreshing 
sleep  of  a  cool,  bracing  night  is  a  necessity  after  the 
warmth  of  the  summer  day;  those  to  whose  enfeebled 
digestion  or  to  whose  capricious  appetites  a  market  stocked 
with  fresh  vegetables,  fruits  and  berries,  every  month  in 


Where  the 

Ostrich 

Flourishes. 


178  CALIFORNIA   TO- DAY 

the  year,  is  of  importance.  For  such  and  for  all  who  are 
suffering  from  the  nervous  prostrations  of  overwork,  there 
is  probably  no  better  climate  to  be  found.  It  is  a  climate 
in  which  the  drain  upon  vitality  is,  with  any  proper  man- 
ner of  living,  less  than  the  gain." 

On  the  slopes  of  the  Sierra  Madre  range  of  mountains 
northeasterly  from  Los  Angeles  is  Pasadena,  a  prosperous 
city  of  about  20,000  population  and  growing  rapidly.  Here 
hundreds  of  well-to-do  people  from  the  Bast  and  Europe 
have  settled,  building  elaborate  and  artistic  homes,  de- 
termined to  spend  their  years  where  life  is  worth  living, 
because  of  the  out-of-door  possibilities  of  this  region. 
Space  does  not  permit  any  detailed  description  of  Pasa- 
dena, nor  of  the  many  other  places  of  similar  charm 
scattered  throughout  this  section.  Between  Los  Angeles 
and  Pasadena  is  the  ostrich  farm,  a  successful  industry  es- 
tablished by  a  young  Englishman  some  years  ago.  A  car- 
load of  ostriches  were  brought  by  him  from  South  Africa, 
and  here  amid  conditions  of  sand  and  sunshine  similar  to 
their  home,  these  birds  have  thrived  and  made  themselves 
and  their  owner  happy.  The  ostrich  farm  is  one  of  the 
sights  of  this  section,  and  the  owner  has  made  a  comfort- 
able fortune  from  his  enterprise. 

In  Pasadena  are  dozens  of  tourist  hotels,  which  are 
full  all  winter  and  some  of  them  all  summer,  with  people 
from  abroad  who  seek  health  and  recreation.  From  Pasa- 
dena extends  an  electric  railway  to  Altadena,  where  a  mar- 
velous cable  road  lifts  the  traveler  up  to  Echo  mountain, 
site  of  the  Mt.  Lowe  observatory,  which  has  gained  fame 
in  the  astronomical  world  through  the  discoveries  of 
Dr.  Lewis  Swift  and  other  star-gazing  scientists.  From 
Echo  mountain  to  Mt.  Lowe  extends  an  electric  railway, 
which  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  engineering.  At  Mt.  Lowe 
is  Alpine  Tavern  (altitude  about  5,000  feet),  an  attractive 
resort  visited  yearly  by  thousands  of  tourists. 
Woo  the  The  lure  of  the  sea  draws  south  California  residents 

to  Santa  Monica,  Redondo,  San  Pedro,  Long  Beach, 
Newport  and  other  points  where  the  sandy  beach  and  the 
warm  waters  of  the  Pacific  combine  to  make  sea-bathing  a 


Bather. 


CALIFORNIA    SOUTH   OF   TEHACHAPI  179 

delight.  At  Santa  Monica  the  Southern  Pacific  has  estab- 
lished a  terminal,  Port  Los  Angeles,  by  constructing  a 
famous  wharf  nearly  a  mile  long,  extending  into  Santa 
Monica  bay.  At  this  wharf  deep  sea  vessels  are  readily 
moored.     At  San  Pedro  government  engineers  have  been  Making  a 

066D  SCA 

employed  for  some  3'ears  in  building  a  breakwater,  which  Harbor. 
is  making  a  deep  sea  harbor  for  Los  Angeles.  An  appro- 
priation of  over  three  millions  of  dollars  has  already  been 
made  for  this  work,  and  a  good  part  of  this  amount  ex- 
pended. Construction  of  this  breakwater  means  great 
things  for  the  commercial  future  of  Los  Angeles  and  then 
the  city  will  be  in  position  to  command  its  share  of  the 
growing  commerce  with  Oriental  ports. 

Across  San  Pedro  channel  is  Santa  Catalina,  a  pic- 
turesque, mountainous  island,  reached  by  daily  steamer 
from  San  Pedro,  noted  for  the  fishing  possibilities  off  its 
coves  and  on  its  shores  ;  fishing  for  tuna  and  other  game 
fish  being  a  sport  that  has  gained  fame  wherever  fishermen 
congregate.  The  tuna  attains  a  length  of  five  or  six  feet  and 
often  weighs  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  fifty  pounds. 
Occasionall}',  a  Jew  fish  is  landed,  weighing  three  or  four 
hundred  pounds.  The  Metropole  Hotel  at  Avalon,  Cata- 
lina Island,  is  open  all  the  yeax  round.  On  the  way  from 
Los  Angeles  to  Santa  Monica  is  the  National  Soldiers' 
Home,  one  of  the  finest  homes  which  the  government  has 
erected  for  the  care  and  comfort  of  its  veteran  soldiers. 

As   noted  elsewhere   the   one   chief  industry  of  this  Goidencropot 

•^  the  Orange 

south  region  is  the  orange  growing  industry,  that  has  Tree. 
shown  and  is  showing  still,  marvelous  development. 
From  small  beginnings  the  business  has  grown  until  over 
twenty-four  thousand  carloads  of  oranges  were  shipped 
from  these  south  counties  in  the  season  of  1900-1901,  or 
nearly  nine  millions  of  boxes.  Shipments  of  recent 
seasons  were  as  follows: 

Approx. 

No.  Cars.  No.  Boxes. 

1897-98 15,172  5,097,792 

1898-99 10,351  3,477,936 

1899-00 17,828  6,453,736 

1900-01 24,096  8,722,752 

1901-02 17,387  6,293,494 

1902-03— (Estimated) 22,000  8,008,000 


180  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

^^orange  Most  of  the  orangc  groves  are  located  in  Los  Angeles, 

Groves.  Riversidc,  Orange  and  San  Bernardino  counties,  but  in 
San  Diego,  Ventura  and  Santa  Barbara,  the  industry  is 
spreading  rapidly.  The  development  of  artesian  wells  and 
the  utilization  of  a  large  subterranean  water  supply  as  well 
as  the  systematic  obtaining  of  water  for  irrigating  from 
streams  and  springs  are  elements  which  have  given  orange 
and  lemon  growing  in  this  region  a  tremendous  impetus 
in  recent  years. 

To  describe  the  orange  growing  region  in  detail  is  im- 
possible within  the  limits  of  this  volume.  Riverside,  Red- 
lands,  Azusa,  Duarte,  Ontario,  Monrovia,  Covina  and  Po- 
mona are  all  centers  for  orange  shipments.  Riverside,  in 
Riverside  county,  is  widely  known  as  the  "  Orange  Grove 
City."  Its  population  to-day  exceeds  10,000,  and  its  valua- 
tion is  something  over  $6,000,000.  In  the  orange  season 
of  1899-1900  the  city  of  Riverside  shipped  4,400  carloads 
of  oranges  and  lemons,  of  the  approximate  value  to  the 
producers  of  $2,000,000,  a  sum  exceeding  the  entire  assessed 
valuation  of  all  real  and  personal  property  in  San  Bernar- 
dino county  at  the  inception  of  the  Riverside  colony. 

The  sentiment  of  the  Riverside  people  is  so  strongly 
against  saloons  that  for  many  years  their  presence  has  not 
been  permitted,  and  the  result  is  shown  in  the  very  orderly 
condition  of  the  city,  and  the  very  few  instances  of  law- 
breaking  and  the  small  number  of  arrests.  During  a  recent 
fair,  lasting  for  eight  days,  when  the  streets  were  crowded 
each  day  by  from  10,000  to  20,000  people,  there  was  not 
one  single  case  of  drunkenness  nor  a  single  arrest. 

At  Riverside  has  just  been  built  the  new  Glenwood 
Hotel,  the  only  hotel  in  the  world  constructed  after  the 
style  of  the  old  missions.  In  Riverside  is  located  the 
Sherman  Indian  Institute,  established  by  an  Act  of  Con- 
gress at  a  cost  of  $75,000.  Of  the  profits  of  orange  grow- 
ing hundreds  of  residents  of  Riverside  and  surroundings 
can  speak  intelligently.  While  all  agree  as  to  the  charm 
of  the  industry  and  its  profits,  yet  personal  experiences 
differ  according  to  the  location  and  the  methods  of  the 
grower. 


Orderly 
Riverside. 


182  CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 

Sngt^  ^^  eastern  Riverside  county  is  Palm  Springs,  a  health 

resort  of  peculiar  attractions.  It  is  situated  in  a  sheltered 
valley  and  surrounded  by  giant  palms  of  natural  growth. 
The  dry  air  gives  great  relief  to  sufferers  from  lung  and 
throat  troubles.  And  indeed,  scattered  all  through  the 
mountains  of  these  south  counties,  as  well  as  through 
the  mountain  regions  mentioned  elsewhere  in  this  volume, 
are  resorts  peculiarly  fitted  for  bringing  back  health  to 
humanity.  The  dry  air,  mineral  springs,  the  atmosphere 
of  pine  forests  and  above  all  sunshine,  are  climatic  assets 
of  these  resorts  that  give  health  to  all  who  seek  it  in  time. 

To  the  north  of  Riverside  county  is  San  Bernardino, 
one  of  the  largest  counties  in  the  United  States,  a  small 
empire  of  wondrous  possibilities,  noted  not  only  for  the 
fruit  growing  possibilities  of  its  southern  part,  but  for  the 
rich  mines  and  mining  prospects  of  its  northern  section. 
Through  the  county  runs  the  main  line  of  the  Santa  Fe 
railroad,  a  great  factor  in  the  rapid  development  of  this 
mining  store-house.  In  San  Bernardino  and  Los  Angeles 
counties  are  large  government  forest  reserves,  where  fore- 
thought of  prudent  men  is  checking  the  destruction  of  the 
trees  on  mountain  ranges  which  shelter  the  source  of  water 
supply  for  the  fertile  valleys  below. 
wtater  '^^^  most   southern   county  is  San  Diego,  noted  for 

Resorts,  many  things,  but  above  all  for  its  famous  winter  resort 
hotel  at  Coronado,  for  its  wonderful  harbor  at  San  Diego, 
for  its  fruit  growing  and  for  its  health-giving  climate, 
which  last  element  alone  is  gaining  for  its  population 
thousands  yearly. 

Northerly  from  Los  Angeles  is  Ventura,  and  beyond, 
Santa  Barbara.  These  two  counties  are  noted,  as  are  all 
others  of  the  south  counties,  for  their  climate  and  for  their 
soil  possibilities.  Olives,  English  walnuts  and  oranges  are 
the  chief  orchard  products,  while  there  are  opportunities 
for  returns  from  other  lines  of  industry  in  their  valleys 
and  foothills. 

A  peculiar  educational  institution  that  means  health 
for  growing  boys  is  located  near  Nordhoff  in  Ventura 
county,  where  the  son  of  a  Yale  professor  has  established 


CALIFORNIA   SOUTH   OF   TEHACHAPI  183 

an  outdoor  school  where  boys  are  prepared  for  college. 
Half  of  their  da}^  is  devoted  to  horseback  riding  or  exer- 
cising out  of  doors,  and  the  output  of  this  school  is  sure  to 
form  timber  for  football  teams  or  'varsity  crews. 

At  Santa  Barbara  recently  there  has  been  constructed  '^*^®^°"®'"- 
the  new  Potter  Hotel,  a  modern  establishment  that  attracts 
each  winter  a  vast  number  of  health-seeking  tourists.  The 
recent  completion  of  the  Southern  Pacific  coast  line  has 
given  new  life  to  Ventura,  Santa  Barbara  and  other  coast 
towns.  At  Santa  Barbara  is  one  of  the  best  preserved 
California  missions,  the  building,  garden  and  surroundings 
being  kept  in  excellent  condition  and  forming  an  attract- 
ive visiting  point  for  tourists. 

All  through  these  south  counties  are  mines,  especially 
in  Riverside  and  San  Bernardino  counties,  mines  of  gold 
and  silver  chiefly.  The  recent  development  of  the  mines 
of  the  Mexican  peninsula  of  Lower  California  is  a  good 
thing  for  these  south  counties,  as  Los  Angeles  and  San 
Diego  are  the  outfitting  points  for  many  expeditions,  and 
there  is  a  growing  trade  in  mining  machinery  and  supplies 
with  the  Lower  California  mines. 

A  recent  writer  on  Southern  California  and  its  varied 
resources,  thus  summarizes  its  manifold  charms: 

"  It  is  a  country  of  eternal  snow — on  mountain  peaks  Aiuirtag^ 
12,000  feet  high;  it  is  a  country  of  eternal  summer — in  the  contrasts. 
smiling  valleys  radiant  with  perennial  beauty.  It  is  a  land 
-of  roses,  fragrant,  beautiful;  it  is,  too,  a  land  of  unbaked 
Boston  beans.  It  is  a  land  of  ostriches,  and,  still  more,  a 
land  of  humming  birds.  Meadow  larks  unnumbered  hail 
the  morning  from  the  upland  grain  fields;  and  at  night  in 
the  fastnesses  of  the  mountains  yet  may  be  heard  the 
mountain  lion.  In  the  late  winter  and  the  early  spring  the 
valleys  are  a  carpet  of  baby  blue-eyes;  and  up  on  the 
higher  mountain  ridges,  usually  over  the  summits  to 
the  desert  sides,  majestic  pines,  too  large  for  the  saw-mill, 
lift  their  heads  so  high  that  their  vesper  songs,  when  the 
evening  sea  breeze  comes,  are  lost.  Southern  California 
is  a  land  of  celery,  for  celery  flourishes  in  the  lowlands 
south  of  Los  Angeles,  and  it  is  a  land  of  salt  to  season  that 
-celery  with,  for  out  of  the  California  desert  broad  acres 


Where  Every 
Prospect 


184  CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 

glisten  in  the  sun  at  a  lower  level  still — 200  feet  below 
the  surging  tide  of  the  ocean.  It  is  pre-eminently  a  land 
of  magnificent  sandy  beaches,  with  gentle  surf;  it  is  not 
less  pre-eminently  a  country  of  mountain  resorts,  with 
sparkling  trout  streams  and  pine  needle  carpets. 

"  It  is  a  land  of  long  ocean  piers  and  high  oil  derricks. 
Pleases.  It  is  a  laud  of  many  pumpkins  to  the  acre  and  of  many 
magnificent  resort  hotels.  It  possesses  the  most  modern 
and  active  of  cities  and  some  quaint  and  sleepy  Spanish 
pueblos.  It  has  many  mineral  hot  springs  and  hundreds 
of  cool  artesian  wells,  some  of  400  inches  flow.  There  are 
broad  fields  of  waving  grain  and  fleets  of  fishing  boats. 
There  is  a  vast  network  of  irrigating  canals  and  another 
network  of  many  well-kept  country  highways.  It  is  a  land 
of  sweetness,  with  many  thousand 'acres  of  sugar  beets  and 
three  large  factories;  and  with  every  valley  fringed  with 
honey,  for  along  the  foothills  and  in  the  mouths  of 
canyons,  the  hum  of  industry  is  apparent  around  many 
a  hive.  Large  vineyards  and  grain  fields  neighbor  amicably. 
Yes,  it  is  a  land  of  many  things — of  gold  and  silver,  small 
fruits,  vegetables,  flowers,  wool,  wheat,  hay,  cattle,  cran- 
berries, walnuts,  almonds,  melons,  wine,  of  tourists  and 
of  climate.  It  is  above  all  a  land  of  horticulture;  of 
oranges,  lemons,  grape-fruit,  apricots,  peaches,  pears, 
olives,  prunes,  quinces,  guavas,  bananas,  loquats,  nectar- 
ines, pomegranates,  cherries  and  plums. 
Sunshine  "  The  cUmate  posscsscs  au  aunual  mean  temperature 

Balmy  Air.  of  about  62  dcgrccs,  aud  there  is  nothing  very  mean  about 
it,  either;  indeed,  it  is  about  right;  in  the  dry  air  of  the 
summer  (but  not  at  the  coast)  it  wanders  up  to  a  hundred 
degrees,  with  a  much  lower  sensible  temperature;  in 
winter  it  draws  the  line  at  frosts  as  a  whole,  though 
in  a  few  localities  the  welcome  is  not  so  warm  as  to  forbid 
Jack  Frost  from  tarrying  a  few  hours.  The  climate  rejoices 
in  300  sunshiny  days  every  year;  it  invites  you  to  mid- 
summer nights  beneath  clear  stars,  and  open  windows  in 
the  longer  stretches  of  January  darkness  when  the  rose- 
scented  air  aids  to  pleasant  dreams.  It  has  a  fraternal 
feeling  for  porches,  swinging  on  the  gate,  long  walks, 
bicycling,  automobiling  and  coaching." 


186 


CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


COUNTIES  OF  CALIFORNIA 

Their  Area,  County  Seats,  and  Population  (according  to  revised  U.  S.  Census, 

1900,  figures]. 


Counties 


to  . 


a 
o 


County  Seat 


o 


I 

2 

3 

4 
5 
6 

7 
8 

9 

ID 
II 
12 
13 
14 
15 
16 

17 
18 

19 
20 
21 
22 
23 
24 
25 
26 

27 
28 
29 
30 
31 
32 

33 
34 
35 
36 
37 
38 
39 
40 

41 
42 
43 
44 
45 
46 

47 
48 
49 
50 
51 
52 
53 
54 
55 
56 
57 


Alameda 

Alpine 

Amador 

Butte  

Calaveras 

Colusa  

Contra  Costa 

Del  Norte  

El  Dorado 

Fresno 

Glenn 

Humboldt 

Inyo 

Kern 

Kings 

Lake 

Lassen 

Los  Angeles,  includ- 
ing Catalina  Island 

Madera 

Marin 

Mariposa 

Mendocino 

Merced 

Modoc 

Mono 

Monterey  

Napa  

Nevada 

Orange 

Placer 

Plumas. 

Riverside 

Sacramento 

San  Benito 

San  Bernardino 

San  Diego 

San  Francisco  

San  Joaquin 

San  Luis  Obispo 

San  Mateo 

Santa  Barbara  

Santa  Clara 

Santa  Cruz 

Shasta 

Sierra 

Siskiyou  

Solano 

Sonoma 

Stanislaus 

Sutter , 

Tehama , 

Trinity , 

Tulare , 

Tuolumne 

Ventura 

Yolo 

Yuba 


1853 
1863 

1854 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1856 
1849 
1856 
1891 

1854 
1866 
1865 

1893 
1861 
1864 

1850 

1893 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1865 

1854 
1866 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1889 
1850 
1854 
1893 
1850 
1874 
1854 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1856 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1850 

1854 
1852 
1850 
1850 
1856 
1850 
1850 
1850 
1854 
1853 
1872 
1850 
i8so 


840 

575 

568 
1,764 

990 
1,080 

750 
1,546 
1,891 
5,940 
1,248 

3,507 
10,224 

8,159 
1,257 
1,332 

4,750 

3,957>^ 
2,140 

516 
1,580 
3,460 
1,750 
4,087 
2,796 
3,450 

800 

958 

780 
1,484 
2,361 
7,008 
1,007 
1,476 
20,055 
8,400 
42 
1,370 
3,500 

470 
2,450 
1,355 

425 
4,050 

910 
6,078 

911 
1,540 
1,486 

611 
3,200 
3  276 
4,935 
2,232 
1.850 
1,017 

625 


130,197 

509 
11,116 
17,117 
11,200 

7,364 
18,046 

2,408 

8,986 
37,862 

5,150 
27,104 

4,377 
16,480 

9,871 
6,017 

4,511 

170,298 

6,364 

15,702 

4,720 

20,465 

9.215 
5,076 
2,167 
19.380 
16,451 
17,789 
19,696 
15,786 

4,657 
17,897 

45,915 
6,633 
27,929 
35,090 
342,782! 
35,452 
16,637 
12,094 

18,934 
60,216 
21,512 
17,318 
4,017 
16,962 

24.143 

38,480 

9,550 

5.886 

10,996 

4,383 

18,375 

11,166 

14,367 

13,618 

8.620 


Oakland  

Markleeville  .. 

Jackson  

Oroville 

San  Andreas... 

Colusa 

Martinez 

Crescent  City.. 

Placerville 

Fresno 

Willows 

Eureka 

Independence. 
Bakersfield  .... 

Hanford 

Lakeport 

Susanville 


Los  Angeles 

Madera 

San  Rafael 

Mariposa 

Ukiah 

Merced 

Alturas 

Bridgeport 

Salinas 

Napa 

Nevada 

Santa  Ana 

Auburn 

Quincy 

Riverside 

Sacramento 

Holiister 

San  Bernardino.. 

San  Diego 

San  Francisco  ... 

Stockton 

San  Luis  Obispo 
Redwood  City  ... 
Santa  Barbaaa ... 

San  Jose 

Santa  Cruz 

Redding 

Downieville 

Yreka 

Fairfield 

Santa  Rosa 

Modesto 

Yuba  City 

Red  Bluff 

Weaverville 

Visalia 

Sonora 

Ventura 

Woodland .'... 

Marvsville 


66,960 
149 

1,645 
2,000 

600 
1,441 
1,380 

699 

1,748 

12,470 

893 
7,327 

500 
4,836 
2,929 

726 

882 

102,479 
1,600 

3.879 

366 

T.^50 

1,969 

800 

700 

3,304 

4,036 

3.250 

4-933 

2,050 

546- 

7,973 

29,282 

1,315 
6,150 

17,700 
342,782 

17,506 
3,021 
1.653 
6,587 

21,500- 

5,659 
2,946^ 

500 
1,263 

505 

6,673 

2,024 

.     800 

2,750 

968 
3,528 
1,922 
2,470 
2,88& 
3.497 


*  Lo»  Angeles  School  Census  figures  (July,  1902),  show  population  of  over  150,000. 
+  The  pOfiulation  of  San  Francisco  is  reckoned,  January,  1903,  at  fully  425,000. 


CALIFORNIA   TO-DAY 


187 


VALUE  OF  PROPERTY  IN  EACH  COUNTY  OF  CALIFORNIA 

For  the  Years  1901  and  1902  and  Rate  of  Taxation  (State  rate,  .383  cents),  according  to  report  com- 
piled by  E.  P.  Colgan,  Controller  of  State. 


COUNTIES 


Value  of  Real 

Estate 

1902 


Value  of  Im- 
provements on 
Real  Estate 
1902 


Value 

of  Personal 

Property 


Grand  Total 

Value  of 

all  Property 

1901 


Grand  Total 

Value  of 

All  Property 

1902 


Total  State  and 

County  Rate  of 

Taxation, 

Each  $100 

1902 


Alameda 

Alpine 

Amador 

Butte 

Calaveras 

Colusa 

Contra  Costi 

Del  Norte 

El  Dorado 

Fresno 

Glenn 

Humboldt 

Inyo 

Kern 

Kings 

Lake 

Lassen 

Los  Angeles 

Madera 

Marin 

Mariposa., 

Mendocino 

Merced 

Modoc  

Mono  

Monterey 

Napa  

Nevada  

Orange 

Placer  

Plumas 

Riverside  

Sacramento 

San  Benito 

San  Bernardino.. 

San  Diego 

San  Francisco.... 

San  Joaquin 

San  Luis  Obispo. 

San  Mateo 

Santa  Barbara ... 

Santa  Clara 

Santa  Cruz 

Shasta 

Sierra 

Siskiyou 

Solano 

Sonoma 

Stanislaus 

Sutter 

Tehama 

Trinity 

Tulare 

Tuolumne 

Ventura 

Yolo 

Yuba 


$50,005,575 

149,021 

2,519.952 

8,632,040 

3,079.235 
8,873,688 
8,947,060 
2,164.810 
2,050,990 
19,040,479 

7,755,707 

13,110,017 

888,734 

13,103,218 

4,889,929 

1,973954 
1,707,270 
65,847.865 
3,710,760 
7,487,160 
1,425,603 

6,893,935 
9,619  004 
1,380,315 
479,024 
11,979,800 
5,761,430 
2,713,900 

6,789,515 
4,152,870 

1,403,979 
6,213,261 

16,020,500 
4  124,150 
8,684,655 

11,118,441 
191,804,510 

19,600.504 
8,133,632 
8,632,895 

9,093,647 
31,894,505 
6,514,540 
4,742,351 
1,070,220 

4,795,303 

10,919,982 

14,987,570 

7,592,585 

4,271,845 

6,389,235 

747,871 

9,500,020 

3,586,930 

5,451  481 

10,859,671 

2,687,640 


128,684,825 

122,533 

1,368,570 

2,284,115 

1,634,545 
1,060,705 
2,946,835 
284,530 
1,111,185 

5,702,997 
756,704 

2,781,445 
510,823 

2,793,583 

1,134,179 

707,577 

542,618 

30,229,010 

653,880 

2,847,090 

423,303 
1,862,826 
1,200,134 

562,140 

333,351 
2,687,680 
3,604,180 
2,636,965 

2,451,190 
2,016,715 

454,166 
3,435,125 
9,261,570 

947.065 

4,181,550 

4,083,623 

96,631,790 

6,542,634 

1,635,841 
3.584.225 
2,703,615 
13,869,400 
2,930,295 
1,984,974 

344,850 
1,561,765 
3.918,782 
6,126,805 
1.428,255 

836,280 
1.715.550 

438,564 
2,433,491 
2,097,115 

'  ,538,445 
2,312,360 
1,292,165 


$10,419,276 

43,619 

591,008 

1,993,318 

816,575 

1,253,621 

3,482,076 

264,758 

605,740 

3,741,710 

1,030,656 

2,649,062 

511,579 

3,904,011 

1,173,618 

438,239 

1,155.238 

*i6,979,898 

957,455 
1,156,220 

343,456 

1.744,119 
1,687,342 
1,217,978 
212,016 
1.863,485 

1,762,555 
1,046,800 

1,377-990 

853.135 

311,990 

1.133,760 

4,642,140 

914,500 

1,323,620 

2,391,823 

89  859,788 

3,769,322 

1,910,701 

1,952,795 
1,601,795 

4,243.365 

1.308,675 

1,988,356 

188,080 

1,291,345 
1,923,852 

2,847.335 
1,669,130 

722,015 
1,929,990 

290,764 
1,970,4 

799,410 
1,492,140 
1,416,970 

993,675 


^89,771,005 

300,828 

4,641,489 

13,879,046 

5,434,379 
11,812,546 

17,079.931 

2,048,444 

4,039,566 

30,770,729 

10,007,218 

18,099,949 

1,885,336 

21,129,890 

7.565,903 
3,178,460 
3,499.650 
103.328,904 
6,289,942 

12,108,904 
2,096,587 

10,660,254 

13,657.777 
3,003,805 
1,137,276 

18,016,456 

11.765.301 
7,076,340 

11,245,544 

9,097,657 

2,093,004 

12,248,709 

34,346,017 

6,018,740 

16,416,149 

19,961,959 

413,388,420 

32,023,372 

12,313.984 

14,484,957 

13,969,868 

51,920,963 

11,222,967 

9,362,304 

1,529,604 

8,991,828 

17,524,117 

26,003,179 

12,037,410 

6,364,459 
10,910,679 

1,567,998 
15,794,307 

6,424  670 

8,658,243 
16,034.346 

5,464,434 


Totals? $690,974,783  $284,226,533  $200,164,271  Ji, 241, 705,803  $1,290,750,465 


$92,103,782 
3 > 7,508 

4,618,830 
14,174,591 

5,714,800 
11,850,008 
i7,475,<02 

2,746,567 

4.243,585 
32,049,386 
10,330,877 

19,044,551 
2,000,229 

22,558,092 
7.871,294 
3, '53.614 
3' 743.520 
118,266,624 
6,469,885 

12,292,947 
2,192,412 

10,940,403 

14,426,770 
3.216,423 
1,071,641 

18.772,749 

12,100,985 

7.171.631 
11,882,916 

9.467.385 
2,256,279 

13.498,385 
35,018,484 
6,275,678 
18,687,923 
20,341,614 
420,355,541 

33,307.767 
13,078,101 
14,937,522 
15,276,271 
51,990,152 
11,540,781 
10478,514 

1,736,862 

9,549,738 
17,987,040 
26,257,616 
12,403,8 

6,468,909 
11,240,967 

1,502,120 
16,476,032 

6,688,655 

9,398,496 
16,127,878 

5,599,895 


45  - 

03  - 

60  - 

22  - 

89  - 

35  - 

13  - 

20  - 

II  - 

09  - 

75  - 


19    - 


50 
25 
50 


34  - 
05  - 
20  - 
60  - 

50  - 

90  - 

37  - 

60  - 

75  - 
6082 

20  - 

33  - 

205  - 

45  - 

04  - 

50  - 

40  - 

31  - 

35  - 
00  - 

24  - 

28  - 

20  - 

15  - 

10  - 

50  - 

95  - 

65  - 


Note— Where  two  rates  of  taxation  are  given,  th"  lesser  rate  is  that  levied  upon  property  situate  within  the  limits 
of  incorporated  cities  or  towns,  such  property  being  exempt  from  road  tax.     f  Includes  special  school  tax  of  36.3  cents. 


188 


CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 


METEOROLOGICAL  DATA  OF  SAN  FRANCISCO. 

THE  ANNUAL  RAINFALL. 
Recorded   by  the   United  States  Weather  Bureau. 


«H 

*^ 

» 

CD 

a 

s 

83 

§ 

0 

•< 

n> 

1879-80.... 
1880-81.... 
1881-82..., 
1882-83.... 
1883-84.... 
1884-85.... 
1885-86.... 
188&-87.... 
1887-88.... 
1888-89.... 
1889-90.... 
1890-91  .... 
1891-92.... 
1892-93.... 
1893-94.... 
1894-95  .... 
1895-96.... 
1896-97.... 
1897-98.... 
1898-99.... 
1899-1900. 
1900-01.... 
1901-02.... 
1902-03.... 


0.01 


0.02 


Tr. 


Tr. 

0.06 

0.23 

Tr. 

0.01 

0.01 

0.02 

0.10 


0.04 

Tr. 

Tr. 

0.01 

0.01 

Tr. 


0.02 


0.02 

Tr. 

0.01 

0.04 

Tr. 


Tr. 
Tr. 
Tr. 


0.09 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 


0.25 

0.26 

0.42 

0.33 

0.11 

0.01 

0.29 

0.98 

Tr. 

0.31 

0  77 

0.02 

0  21 

1.05 

0.77 

0.52 

0.10 

1.06 


0.46 
0.78 
Tr. 


0.78 

0  05 

0.54 

2.66 

1.48 

2.55 

0.72 

1.48 

Tr. 

0.13 

7.28 

ao4 

1.65 
0.16 
1.73 
0.11 
1.55 
1.70 
0.86 
3.92 
1.48 
0.64 
1.70 


4.46 

2.23 

1.87 

12.33 

8.69 

4.65 

3.85 

1.68 

2.96 

2  01 

1.92 

1.04 

0.92 

3.94 

6.65 

7.68 

2.53 

0.30 

4.99 

7.42 

0.24 

2.07 

1.90 

9.24 

3.34 

6.81 

0.04 

5.80 

1.28 

0.72 

13.81 

9.61 

5  16 

3.25 

0.98 

7.26 

5.62 

2.42 

2.90 

5.08 

3.05 

2.75 

2.25 

5.99 

2  69 

9.01 

6.99 

2.31 

1.43 

8.14 

0.28 

4.34 

2.36 

4.41 

1.22 

1.12 

2.13 

1.62 

3.67 

0.10 

2.65 

4.11 

0.64 

1.37 

5.79 

5.03 

0.90 

1.23 

7.27 

2.32 

3.73 

1.76 

2.08 
0.90 
3.45 
3.01 
8.24 
1.01 
2.07 
0.84 
3.60 
7.78 
4.73 
1.96 
2.85 
4.08 
0.60 
1.89 
2.85 
4.56 
0.24 
7.61 
1.91 
0  80 
2.65 
6.23 


10.06 
2.00 
1.22 
1.51 
6.33 
3.17 
5.28 
2.30 
0.11 
0.96 
1.18 
2.44 
1.39 
1.03 
0.50 
1.24 
5.16 
0.27 
0.19 
0.62 
1.08 
1.64 
0.98 
0.56 


1.12 
0.22 
0.21 
3.52 
0.23 
0.14 
0.37 
0.06 
0  38 
2.17 
1.07 
1.25 
1.86 
0.15 
1.31 
0.60 
0.72 
0.61 
1.44 
0.86 
0.32 
0.69 
1.05 
Tr. 


126.66 

0.6929.86 


5.04 
0.01 
2.57 
0.19 
0.04 
0.07 
0.27 
0.03 
0.10 
0.11 
Tr. 


16.14 
20.12 
32.38 
18.20 
33.08 
19.04 
16.74 
23.86 
45.85 
17.58 
18.53 


0.03  21.75 
0.5618.47 

25.70 

I2I.75 

0.22  23.47 
0.191  9.38 
0.0116  87 
0.05  18.47 


Tr. 
Tr. 
Tr. 


23.17 
19.75 
18.28 


MEAN   TEMPERATURE   OF  SAN   FRANCISCO. 
Recorded  by  the  United  States  Weather  Bureau. 


YEARS. 

» 

a 
c 
» 

cr 

s 
» 
<-l 

» 
3 

> 
•0 
2 

Cm 

B 

a 
n 

> 

a 

P 

a 

•a 

a 

B 

<9 

0 
0 

0 
1 

0 
< 

1 
1 

1 

> 
a 

a 
c 
» 

1880 

48.0 
54.0 
49.4 
47.0 
50.6 
51.1 
51.2 
51.2 
52.6 
46.7 
50.4 
4«.2 
51.7 
47.4 
47.7 
48.6 
52.2 
48.6 
46.7 
53.0 
50.7 
49.8 
46.7 

48.8 
55.3 
48.8 
48.8 
50.8 
55.3 
56.8 
47.8 
53.9 
54.0 
49.1 
51.1 
52.4 
50.3 
48.4 
53.8 
55.3 
50.7 
52.6 
51.6 
53.6 
52.2 
52.9 

49.4 
54.4 
53.4 
54.0 
54.5 
57.7 
43  6 
55.8 
53.4 
57.2 
53.8 
55.0 
54.2 
51.2 
50.6 
52  2 
54.3 
48.9 
51.2 
52.2 
5i.2 
55.8 
51.6 

53.3 

57.9 
53.0 
53.2 
56  0 
58.2 
55.4 
55.8 
57.8 
58.8 
54.8 
53.4 
53.1 
52.4 
55.2 
54.8 
51.6 
57.4 
54.4 
5-5.0 
54.0 
51.8 
54.4 

57.7 
58.0 
57.0 
58.0 
59.4 
58.1 
59.1 
57.0 
56.9 
58.8 
59  8 
55.7 
58.0 
55.8 
55.4 
57.6 
56.3 
57.4 
52.6 
53.0 
57.0 
539 
55.5 

57.2 
58.6 
59.5 
61.4 
60.2 
57.8 
59.4 
59.4 
62.4 
60.2 
59.2 
60.2 
56  8 
56.5 
55.9 
58.7 
57.2 
58.9 
59.0 
56.9 
57.6 
56.7 
56.9 

58.8  59.1 
59.7  58  8 
50.5  S8  fi 

68.9 
59.7 
59.8 
63.1 
59.6 
61.8 
f^2.4 
62.0 
62.8 
64.6 
60.4 
61.8 
60.2 
59.3 
63.4 
60.7 
59.6 
60.8 
59.0 
58.2 
68.3 
58.5 
61.9 

59  8 
56.6 
58.8 
67.9 
58.2 
60.7 
58.6 
64.2 
61.6 
61.8 
62.4 
59.7 
59.6 
57.6 
59.6 
58.8 

54.2 
55.1 
53.2 
54.1 
57.4 
57.8 
56.8 
56.4 
57.0 
58.8 
59.0 
58.6 
56.9 
55.6 
59.4 
56  9 

53.2 
51.0 
52.8 
50.8 
52.8 
54.0 
53.6 
52.2 
53.2 
51.3 
49.8 
49.6 
51.1 
52.4 
49.7 

54.9 

1881 

56  6 

1882 

55.2 

1883 

59.8 
61.4 
H1.6 
60.3 
56.6 
61.4 
58.8 
59.8 
59.4 
58.1 
56  6 
56.4 
58.4 
59.4 
58.2 
56.2 
55  9 
58.2 
55.6 
59.5 

59.2 
60.0 
59.6 
60.6 
57.8 
60.8 
60.4 
61.4 
61.8 
59.4 
56.6 
59.2 
58.4 
59.5 
57.6 
57.0 
58  3 
59.7 
56  4 
60.6 

55  6 

1884 

56  7 

1885 

1886 

57.8 
57.3 

1887 

56.5 

1888 

57.3 

1889 

57.9 

1890 

56.3 

1891 

56.6 

1892 

56.0 

1893 

1894 

54.3 

1895 

48.6  55.6 

1896 

58.8i  53.4 
58.4  53.1 
61.2  55  4 
59.2  57.0 

■  52.8 
50.7 
49.7 
49.6 
50.2 
52.9 
50.6 

55  9 

1897 

1898 

55.1 
54.6 

1899 

55.0 

1900 

1901 

58.9 
61.8 
59.3 

56.3 
57.0 
54.8 

56.2 
55.2 

1902 

55.4 

CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY 


189 


METEOROLOGICAL  DATA  OF  LOS  ANGELES. 

THE  ANNUAL  RAINFALL. 


YEAR 


s 


s 


o 

tf 

^ 

1.45 

5.06 

1.66 

.46 

2.66 

1.83 

2.87 

.15 

12.36 

3.58 

.01 

2.01 

2.52 

3.32 

.29 

2.36 

3.17 

.12 

6.48 

.27 

.66 

.22 

.41 

1.26 

3.39 

.22 

8.52 

.19 

.37 

.13 

3.77 

.46 

2.97 

.19 

2.31 

.02 

.98 

.03 

1.81 

.18 

.99 

.54 

.45 

.68 

2.98 

.16 

1 

a 

B 

§■ 
"J 

o 

a 

B 

§■ 
►1 

.67 

8.40 

.27 

.52 

1.82 

.08 

.00 

2.56 

1.07 

4.65 

5.55 

1.65 

1.18 

.26 

.80 

2.68 

4.02 

6.26 

L35 

15.80 

.13 

2.32 

.00 

1.99 

4.40 

4.18 

.20 

3.65 

.00 

4.62 

.80 

.78 

1.66 

2.12 

.01 

.05 

Tr. 

.12 

.90 

.90 

6.53 

Tr. 

.46 

.00 

2.08 

2.50 

1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 


133 

1.43 

1.01 

1.62 

3.15 

1.05 

7.78 

.20 

6.04 

.25 

7.83 

.25 

.88 

7.29 

.94 

5.84 

3.23 

3.70 

1.26 

2.64 

1.17 

2.49 

1.62 

1.56 

.36 

2  66 

3.47 

13.37 

.01 

1.41 

9.25 

.80 

:92 

1.36 

8.56 

3.19 

2.27 

.49 

.46 

Tr. 

5.62 

.51 

.04 

Tr. 

4.38 

3.35 


.04|  .00 
.01!  .00 
.63]  Tr 
1.021  .03 
.39 1  1.39 
.06!  Tr 
.Oli     .11 


.20 
.05' 
.65! 
.03! 
.31 
J.061 
.06' 


.07 
.01 
.01 
.02 
.00 
.06 
.03 


.20  Tr. 
,19  .01 
.30,  Tr. 
lOl  Tr. 
75 1  Tr. 
041  .58 
81'  Tr. 
50  Tr. 
03!  Tr. 


Tr. 
.00 
.00 

Tr. 
.02 

Tr 
.27 
.07 
.04 

Tr. 
.00 

Tr 
.00 
.00 

Tr. 

Tr. 
.02 

Tr. 
.07 
.00 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 


Tr. 

.00 

Tr. 

Tr. 

.00 

Tr. 

.00 

.00 

.02 

Tr. 

Tr. 

.05 

.21 

.11 

Tr. 

.15 

.10 

.03 

.61 

.01 

.03 

.06 

.00 

.06 

.01 

.00 

.00 

Tr. 

.01 

.73 

Tr. 

Tr. 

.01 

Tr. 

.00 

.00 

Tr. 

.02 

.01 

Tr. 

Tr. 

Tr. 

.09 

.03 

Tr. 

Tr. 

.14 
.82 
.05 

1.42 
.39 
.30 
.02 
.17 
.40 

6.96 
.03 
.00 
.33 
.75 
.02 
.24 

1.30 

2.47 
.09 

1.59 
.26 

1.88 
.40 


18.65 
5.53 
10.74 
14.14 
40.39 
10.69 
17.20 
16.24 
21.04 
33.31 
12.49 
12.84 
18.72 
22.96 
7.51 
12.55 
11.80 
14.28 
4.83 
8.69 
11.30 
11.96 
13.12 


MEAN  TEMPERATURE  OF  LOS  ANGELES. 


YEAR 


z 

o 

< 

a 

a 

B 

B 

o* 

cr 

a 

<b 

►« 

1880 
1881 
1882 
1883 
1884 
1885 
1886 
1887 
1888 
1889 
1890 
1891 
1892 
1893 
1894 
1895 
1896 
1897 
1898 
1899 
1900 
1901 
1902 


54 

51 

52 

53 

59 

57 

50 

51 

56 

53 

52 

58 

54 

56 

56 

55 

57 

62 

55 

60 

55 

55 

51 

60 

50 

54 

56 

52 

56 

59 

49 

54 

58 

56 

53 

58 

57 

54 

56 

57 

55 

54 

51 

51 

54 

52 

57 

56 

58 

60 

58 

56 

53 

53 

52 

58 

55 

56 

54 

57 

58 

58 

60 

55 

57 

60 

56 

54 

55 

57 
63 
58 
58 
59 
63 
59 
60 
63 
62 
59 
69 
59 
58 
59 
59 
56 
61 
63 
60 
57 
57 
58 


63 
64 
64 
64 
63 
66 
65 
64 
63 
63 
63 
62 
62 
63 
60 
64 
63 
63 
60 
60 
64 
60 
61 


66 

65 

69 

66 

63 

56 

56 

67 

72 

71 

70 

61 

57 

55 

66 

71 

73 

70 

63 

58 

57 

71 

73 

72 

74 

62 

60 

56 

68 

73 

73 

67 

63 

61 

53 

67 

72 

75 

71 

66 

60 

58 

69 

72 

75 

68 

60 

57 

56 

68 

72 

70 

69 

66 

60 

53 

69 

73 

73 

74 

66 

60 

57 

66 

71 

72 

73 

66 

61 

55 

68 

73 

73 

71 

68 

66 

61 

66 

74 

75 

73 

66 

61 

53 

fi4 

68 

72 

68 

64 

62 

54 

66 

70 

71 

66 

63 

57 

58 

63 

67 

70 

69 

66 

59 

54 

66 

68 

69 

69 

66 

60 

56 

69 

71 

71 

68 

65 

60 

59 

66 

70 

72 

70 

62 

62 

56 

67 

70 

74 

71 

65 

61 

57 

65 

70 

69 

70 

63 

62 

58 

67 

71 

68 

67 

64 

66 

60 

66 

70 

71 

K5 

65 

61 

58 

66 

68 

69 

69 

63 

58 

56 

190 


CALIFORNIA    TO-DAY. 


MINERAL  PRODUCTS  BY  COUNTIES 

The  total     valuation  of    the    mineral    products  of    California    for  the   year 
amounted  to  $34,355,981,  appportioned  among  the  various  counties  as  follows: 


1901, 


Alameda $786,366 

Alpine 27,747 

Amador  1,888,191 

Butte 879,767 

Calaveras 2,355,372 

Colusa 115,107 

Contra  Costa 101,900 

Del  Norte 10,612 

El  Dorado 347,263 

Fresno 480,696 

Humboldt 108,425 

Inyo 668,618 

Kern 2,423,918 

Kings 5,000 

Lake 331,684 

Lassen 6,100 

Los  Angeles 1,642,591 

Madera 400,825 

Marin 128,227 

Mariposa 542,975 

Mendocino 10,720 

Merced 12,453 

Mono 522,911 

Monterey 50,169 

Napa 516,388 

Nevada 2,145,840 

Orange 187,341 

Placer 1,025,184 


Plumas $403,832 

Riverside 316,608 

Sacramento 302,882 

San  Benito 255,219 

San  Bernardino 1,844,239 

San  Diego 514,522 

San  Francisco 156,947 

San  Joaquin 80,456 

San  Luis  Obispo 116,083 

San  Mateo 15,725 

Santa  Barbara 300,148 

Santa  Clara 421,150 

Santa  Cruz 195,779 

Shasta 6,737,571 

>-ierra..; 576,182 

Siskiyou 1,067,451 

Solano 12,600 

Sonoma 173,147 

Stanislaus 29,169 

Tehama 6,000 

Trinity 752,280 

Tulare 69,526 

Tuolumne 1,710,171 

Ventura 350,570 

Yolo 2,300 

Yuba 189,754 

Unapportioned 33,280 


AUTHORITIES 


For  facts  furnished  and  assistance  rendered  in 
compiling  this  volume,  credit  is  oue  the  following 
authorities,  in  addition  to  those  already  noted  else- 
where :  The  Officers  and  Members  of  the  California 
Promotion  Committee ;  Harry  Ellington  Brook,  Los 
Angeles;  Colvin  B.  Brown,  Secretary  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  Stockton;  W.  A.  Beard,  Oroville;  Pro- 
fessor Elmer  E.  Brown,  University  of  California, 
Berkeley;  J.  F.  Coope,  Santa  Cruz;  B.  L.  Cad- 
walader.  Secretary  Police  Commissioners,  San 
Francisco ;  Benj.  W.  Day,  Chief  Clerk  United  States 
Mint,  San  Francisco;  T.  C  Friedlander,  Secretary 
Merchants'  Exchange,  San  Francisco  ;  J.  A.  Filcher, 
Secretary  California  State  Board  of  Trade.  San 
Francisco;  Dr.  R.  M.  Green.  Oroville;  Mrs.  Will  S. 
Green,  Colusa;  H.  K.  Gregory,  A.  G.  P.  A.,  A.  T.  & 
S.  F.  Ry.,  San  Francisco ;  Geo.  W.  Heintz,  G.  P.  A. 
North  Shore  Railroad.  San  Francisco;  Victor  Hen- 
derson, University  of  California.  Berkeley,  T.  C. 
Hocking,  President  Stanislaus  County  Board  of 
Trade,  Modesto;  Inyo  Register,  Bishop;  J.  J. 
Keegan,  Secretary  State  Board  of  Horticulture, 
Sacramento;  J.  E.  Locke,  California  Northwestern 
Railway,  San  Francisco;  J.  W.  McCarthy,  Secre- 
tary Fire  Commissioners,  San  Francisco  ;  Professor 


Elwood  Mead,  University  of  California,  Berkeley ; 
Profesi-or  Alexander  McAdle,  in  Charge  United 
States  Weather  Bureau,  San  Francisco;  Out  West 
Magazine,  Los  Angeles  ;  G.  A.  Parkyns,  A.  G.  F.  & 
P.  A.  Southern  Pacific,  Los  Angeles;  D.  E.  Perkins, 
Secretary  Board  of  Trade.  Visalia;  Pacific  Oil 
Reporter,  San  Francisco;  R.  X.  Ryan,  G.  P.  A. 
California  Northwestern  Railway,  San  Francisco; 
Capt.  A.  F.  Rodgers,  United  States  Coast  and  Geo- 
detic Survey,  San  Francisco  ;  James  Sutton,  Reg- 
ister University  of  California,  Berkeley;  San  Fran- 
cisco Chronicle;  Sausalito  News;  Sunset  Maga- 
zine, San  Francisco ;  Charles  Howard  Shinn  ;  Paul 
Shoup,  San  .lose;  Arthur  A.  Taylor,  Santa  Cruz; 
William  Thomas,  San  Francisco;  Hon.  Robert  A. 
Thompson,  Santa  Rosa ;  Cress  Unger,  Chief  Clerk, 
Collector  of  Customs,  San  Francisco  ;  Earle  Ashley 
Walcott,  San  Francisco  Examiner ;  President  Benj . 
Ide  Wheeler,  University  of  California,  Berkeley ; 
PYank  Wiggins,  Secretary  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
Los  Angeles;  A.  J.  Wells,  San  Francisco;  F.  E. 
Wright,  Secretary  Sacramento  Valley  Development 
Assodation,  Colusa;  Harry  L.  Wells,  San  Jose; 
PassengerDepartments  Southern  Pacific  and  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroads. 


BOOKS  ABOUT  CALIFORNIA 


Among  many  books  written  concerning  California, 
the  following  may  be  listed  as  of  special  interest  to 
those  desiring  to  learn  of  the  State's  resources  and 
characteristics,  both  material  and  romantic : 

"Ramona,"  by  Helen  Hunt  Jackson;  "  Under  the 
Redwoods,"  "A  Ward  of  the  Golden  Gate,"  "A 
Sappho  of  Green  Springs,"  by  Bret  Harte;  "The 
Californians,"  "Los  Cerrltos"  and  "Before  the 
GringoCame,"  by  Gertrude  Atherton ;  "  The  Remit- 
tance Man,"  by  Beatrice  Harraden ;  "  John 
Charity"  and  "Quicksands  of  Pactolus,"  by  Hor- 
ace Annesley  Vachell ;  "Blix,"  "MacTeague"  and 
"The  Octopus,"  by  Frank  Norris;  "In  the  Foot- 
steps of  the  Padres,"  by  Charles  Warren  Stoddard  ; 
"  The  Picaroons,"  by  Gelett  Burgess  and  Will  Irwin  ; 
"Stories  of  the  Foothills,"  by   Margaret  Collier 


Graham;  "Southern  California,"  by  Theodore  S. 
Van  Dyke;  "Stanford  Stories,"  by  Charles  K. 
Field  and  Will  Irwin;  "For  the  Blue  and  Gold," 
by  Joy  Lichtenstein ;  "California  and  the  Cali- 
fornlans"  and  "Knight  and  Barbara,"  by  David 
Starr  Jordan:  "Autobiography  of  a  Grizzly,"  by 
Ernest  Se ton- Thompson;  "The  Black  Curtain,"  by 
Flora  Haines  Loughead  ;  "A  Summer  in  a  Canyon," 
by  Kate  Douglas  Wiggln  ;  "  History  of  California," 
by  Theodore  Hittell ;  "  History  of  the  Pacific  Coast 
States,"  by  H.  H.  Bancroft ;  "  She  of  the  West," 
by  Bailey  Millard;  "The  Little  Lady  of  Lagu- 
nitis,"  by  Richard  Henry  Savage ;  "  Bird  Notes 
Afield"  and  "San  Francisco  and  Thereabout,"  by 
Charles  Keeler ;  "  The  Johnstown  Stage,"  by  Robert 
Howe  Fletcher;  "On  the  Trail  of  a  Spanish  Pio- 
neer." by  Dr.  Elliott  Coues. 


Index— California  To-Day. 


^   j& 


PAGE 

Alameda  County 131-133 

Alfalfa 98-163 

Almonds,  Sacramento  Valley— Illustration 60 

Alpine  County 160 

Amador  County 74-107 

Army  Transport— illustration 39-35 

Asparagus  Growing  on  Bouldln  Island- illus- 
tration       81 

Assessed  Valuation,  Table  of 187 

Asti  Wine  Tank 128 

Authorities,  California  Today 190 

Berkeley  Oaks— Illustration 21 

Beet  Sugar  Factory  at  Spreckels— Illustration    185 

Big  Basin,  The 153 

Blossom  Season,  Santa  Clara  Valley 142 

Bohemia  Grove 114 

Books  About  California 190 

Bret  Harle's  Country 107 

Buhach 94 

Building  a  Warship— illustration 46 

Bully  Hill  Mine  Shipment— illustration 165 

Burlingame 140 

Butte  County 51-65 

Calaveras  County 107 

California  Polytechnic  School 156 

California  Promotion  Committee 7-8-12-20 

Celery 183 

Chemistry  Building.  State  University— illus- 
tration     132 

Cloverdale 115 

Colgate,  Electric  Power  House— illustration. . .    167 

Colusa  County 52-58-59-61 

Combined  Harvester 83 

Combined  Harvester  in  action— illustration.  . .      92 

Contra  Costa  County 137 

Counties  of  California 186-187 

Dairying  in  Marin  County— illustration 110 

Dairying  in  San  Joaquin— illustration 99 

Dairying 90-98 

Del  Monte,  Hotel 153 

Del  Norte  County HI 

Delta  Lands  of  San  Joaquin  Valley 78-80 

Educational  Features 19-84 

Eel  River  Valley 124 

El  Dorado  County 52-61 

Electric  Power  Development 47-54-62-76-78-115 

Farm  Labor 20-69 

Figs 98 

Flower  Growing 140 

Fresno  County 94-96-98-100 

Fresno,  City  of 104 

Fresno's  Shaded  Highways,  One  of— illustra- 
tion       95 

Glenn  County 52 

Glenwood  Hotel 180 

Gold  Discovery 30 

Golden  Gate,  The 32 

Gold  Output 12-32 

Gold  Dredging 62 

Gold  Ridge  Country,  The 118 

Golf,  The  Winter  Sport 13-14 

Grain  Sheds,  San  Francisco— illustration 50 

Healdsburg 115 

Hearst,  Mrs.  Phoebe  A 39 

Hollister,  City  of 158 

Hopfleld  Vista— illustration 116 

Howell  Mountain ;      113 

Humboldt  County 130 

Independence  Lake 164 

Introduction  (Chapter  I) 10-21 

Inyo  County 164-169 

Irrigating  Olive  Orchard— Illustration 103 

Irrigation  In  San  Joaquin  Valley 78-88-96 

Jordan.  David  Starr 19-41 

Kern  County 74 -105-107 

Kings  County 74 

Klamath  River,  Headwaters— illustration 15 


PAGE 

Korea,  Pacific  Mail  Steamship— Illustration ...     37 

La  Grange  Dam 78 

Lake  County 127-129 

Lakeport 129 

Lake  Tahoe 70 

Lassen  County 160-164 

Lick  Observatory 146 

Logging  in  Humboldt— illustration 127 

Los  Angele.s 171-173-178 

Annual  Rainfall 189 

Bank  Clearings 173 

Population 172 

Temperature 176-189 

Lumbering  Industries 64-108 

Madera  County 74 

Mare  Island  Navy  Yard 64 

Market  Street,  San  Francisco— Illustration. .  82-48 

Marin  County 124-127 

Mariposa  County T.     107 

Marshall,  James  W.,  Discoverer  of  Gold    30 

Mendocino  County 130 

Merced  County 91-93 

Mills  College 134 

Mineral  Product  by  Counties 190 

Mineral  Springs 18 

Mineral  Output 61-62-107-186 

Minietta.  Mines  of 166 

Mining   Building,  State   University— Illustra- 
tion      136 

Mirror  Lake,  Yosemite— illustration 11 

Mission  San  Antonio 154 

Mission  Dolores,  Founding  of 28 

Modesto,  City  of 86 

ModocCounty 160 

Mono  County 159-164-166 

Monterey  County 163 

Mountain  Counties  (Chapter  VII) —  159-168 

Mountains,  Wonders  of  the 16 

Mt.  Lowe 178 

Mt.  Shasta 54 

"         "       (illustration) 2 

Mt.  St.  Helena 117 

Mt.  Tamalpais 124-126 

Mt.  Whitney 105-164 

Napa  County 114 

Nevada  County 61 

New  Almaden  Quicksilver  Mines 148 

Nob  Hill,  San  Francisco— illustration 33 

North  Coast  Company's  (Chapter  V) 111-130 

Oakland,  City  of 131-133-134 

Orange     Boxing   near  Los  Angeles— illustra- 
tion     170 

Orange  County 171 

Orange  Culture 66-87-98 

Orange   Grove,    Riverside    County  —  illustra- 
tion      185 

Oranges,  Shipments  of 12-65-179 

Orchard  Home— illustration 18 

Orchard  near  Sebastopol— Illustration 119 

Oroville  Citrus  Ass'n 55 

Oroville  Olive  Culture 66 

Oroville  Orange  Grove— illustration 53 

Owens  Valley 168-169 

Paciflc  Grove 164 

Palm  Springs 183 

Palm  Tree,  Butte  County— illustration 57 

Paso  Robles,  Hotel  and  Hot  Springs 156 

Pasadena,  City  of 178 

Peach  Drying  in  Sacramento  Valley— Illustra- 
tion       67 

Peach  Drying  in  Stanislaus  County— illustra- 
tion       88 

Pears  of  Santa  Clara— illustration 155 

Petaluma,  Town  of 123 

Petaluma  Poultry  Farm— illustration 113 

Petroleum.  Production  of 47-103-105-107 

Picking  Olives— Illustration 108 


192 


INDEX 


PAGB 

Pigeon   Ranch    near   Los    Angeles— illustra- 
tion     m 

Placer  County 53-61-70 

Plowing  by  Steam— illustration 108 

Plumas  County 160 

Potato  Field,  San  Joaquin  County 85 

Porterville  Orange  Shipping  Point 7&-105 

Porterville  Orange  Grove- illustration 77 

Port  Los  Angeles 179 

Potter  Hotel,  Santa  Barbara 183 

Power  House  at  Colgate— illustration 161 

President  Roosevelt  at  Berkeley— illustration.     139 

Prunes,  Shipments  of 142 

Prune  Trees  in  Bloom— illustration 151 

Quicksilver  Mining 1 17-121-148-158 

Rainfall 54 

Raisin  Drying,  Fresno— illustration 97 

Raisins 96 

Redwood  City 138 

Riverside  County 180 

Russian  River  Valley 124 

"  "  "       (illustration).. 17 

Sacramento,  City  of 59 

Sacramento  Valley  (Chapter  III) 52-72 

Sacramento  Valley,  Climate  of  the 51-55-56 

Sacramento  Valley  Development  Association..      66 

Salinas,  City  of 154 

San  Antonio,  Mission 154 

San  Benito  County 158 

San  Bernardino  County 182 

San  Diego  County 182 

Sandstone  Quarry  in  Colusa  County— illustra- 
tion       71 

San  Francisco  (Chapter  ID 23-49 

Bank  Clearings 24 

Bay  of  San  Francisco 28 

Customs 24 

San  Francisco— Golden  Gate  Park 49 

Latitude  and  Longitude 28 

Manufactures  and  Commerce 42 

New  Buildings 34 

New  City  Government 45 

Police  and  Fire  Departments 42 

Population 34 

Railroad  and  Steamship  Lines 32-45 

Rainfall 188- 

Real  Estate  Sales 24 

Schools,  Libraries  and  Museums 34-41 

Street  Railway  System 32-22 

Suburljs , 32 

Temperature 188 

Wheat  Exports 24 

San  Francisco  and  Thereabout 49 

San  Gabriel  Mission 171 

San  Joaquin  County  Vineyard— Illustration —      79 

San  Joaquin  County 80 

San  Joaquin  Valley  (Chapter  IV) 73-109 

San  Jose.  City  of 116-148 

San  Luis  Obispo  County 156 

San  Luis  Obispo,  City  of 156 

San  Mateo  County 138 

San  Pedro  Harbor 179 

Santa  Barbara  County 182-183 

Santa  Barbara  Mission— Illustration 180-181 

San  Rafael 124 

Santa  Catalina  Island 179 

Santa  Clara  College 146 


PAGE 

Santa  Clara  County 142 

Santa  Clara  Mission 146 

Santa  Cruz  County 148 

Santa  Cruz,  City  of 149 

Santa  Rosa,  City  of 117 

Santa  Ysabel  Hot  Springs 156 

Seaside  Resorts 16-175 

Seed-Growing  in  Santa  Clara  Valley 145 

Sequoia  National  Park i05 

Shasta  County 52-54-55 

Sherman  Indian  Institute,  Riverside 180 

Shipment  of  Bullion,  Shasta  County  Mine  — 

illustration 164 

Sleeping  Out  of  Doors 69 

Sierra  County 164 

Siskiyou  County 52-54 

Soda,  Owens  Lake 169 

Solano  County 52-64 

Sonoma 117 

Sonoma  County 118 

Sonoma  Hop  Kiln— illustration 125 

South  Coast  Counties  (Chapter  VI) 131-158 

Southern  California  (Chapter  VIII) 171-185 

South  San  Francisco 140 

Stamboul— illustration 143-147 

Stanford  Memorial  Church— illustration  . .  36-39-41 

Stanford  University 141 

Stanislaus  County 86 

Stevenson,  Robert  Louis.... 27 

Stock  Farm  Scene— illustration lOl 

St.  Helena 1 1^ 

Stockton's  Warehouse  and  Milling  District- 
Illustration 75 

Stockton,  City  of 83-84 

Sugar  Beet  Factory 161 

Summer  Climate 14 

Sweet  Potatoes  93 

Sutter  County 5* 

Tahoe,  Lake 70 

Tehama  County 52 

Thermalito  Olives— illustration 63 

Tokay  Grapes 68 

Tonopah,  Nevada 16ft 

Trans-Pacific  Cable,  Landing  the— illustration  43-44 

Trinity  County 11» 

Tulare  County 74-7ft-78 

Tuolumne  County 74-78 

Turlook  Irrigation  District 88 

Ukiab 130 

University  of  California 36-39-135 

University,  Leland  Stanford  Jr 36-39-41-141 

United  States  Mint,  San  Francisco— illustra- 
tion       8S 

Valuation  by  Counties 187 

Vallejo.  City  of 64 

Ventura  County 18^ 

Waterfront,  San  Francisco— illustration. ..  25-31-40 

Weber  Lake 164 

Wheeler,  Benjamin  Ide 19-135 

Wine  Growing 112-114-120 

Wine  Tank,  Largest  in  the  World 120 

Winter  Climate 12-lS 

Y  achting  on  San  Francisco  Bay 127 

Yolo  County 52 

Yosemite  Valley lOr 

Yuba  County 52 


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